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After the show...

"Honestly, JE," groaned Kermit, "Why do you insist on finding Hardy? We've been looking for him and Shadow for hours now and haven't seen shit..."

"You know damn well why we're looking for that son of a bitch!" the hot-headed JE snapped at his partner, "he has MY Aftershock title and I intend on getting it back!"

"Getting it back?" Kermit snickered slightly, "did you ever really have it to begin with?"

"Fuck off..." JE muttered, "You know what I mean."

"Sure, sure... partner..." Kermit rolled his eyes as he followed the irate JE.

After circling the outside of the building a few times, they finally returned indoors. Kermit glanced down at his watch for about twentieth time that hour, growing increasingly impatient with JE.

"Are you sure you even want to find that guy?" Kermit asked, "I heard he's borderline psycho..."

"I've kicked his ass before, and I can do it again!" JE shouted, remembering the time he left Hardy bleeding in the street. He continued, "If Jess weren't there at the time, I would have done much more than that..."

The two turned a corner then began to head towards their locker-room. JE was pretty much at a breaking point with his frustration with Hardy. The man had mocked him for weeks now, beyond stealing his hard earned title belt. He didn't know what Hardy's motivation was, but he knew damn sure that he was going to make the Infinity punk pay for it.

Kermit, however, was growing more and more impatient with JE's attitude as of late. It seemed his frustration was clouding the judgment of Kermit's business associate, and was occasionally turning him into quite an unpleasant character, moreso beyond usual. The incident with the Jack Daniels earlier that evening certainly wasn't sitting well with Kermit.

"How about we just forget it for now, get to our next destination, hire some people to find Hardy, and then take care of him from there?" Kermit asked, thinking more clear than JE.

"Yeah, whatever..." JE responded.

He came to their locker-room door and pushed it open nonchalantly. The two of them entered and instantly made a move to grab their bags.

"Evening, gentlemen..."

Both members for the LBA quickly looked up towards the far side of the room. Sitting on a chair behind a table was none other than David Hardy, the man they had been looking for for the past hour or two. He sat comfortably with his feet up on the table, and appeared to be picking his teeth with a large hunting knife. Draped over his shoulder was JE's Aftershock title, though something seemed different.

"You!" JE shouted at Hardy.

He began to sprint across the room at Hardy, when suddenly something hit him like a brick wall. JE fell to his ass and looked up to see two very large men in suits looking down at him.

"Who the fuck are you!?" JE snapped.

"Goons..." one of them responded.

"What!?" JE growled.

"Hired goons, jackass!" Hardy snickered, "open up your jobber ears!"

"Hey fuck you!" roared JE.

He quickly got back to his feet and tried to make a move for Hardy again, but just like before, the much larger hired goons stood in his way. He tried to struggle past them, but it was no use. Finally he looked back at Kermit, who was leaning against the back wall with arms crossed. He looked apathetic towards the whole situation.

"You gonna help me or what?" JE asked.

Kermit shrugged, knowing trouble when he sees it, "it's not my problem..."

JE glared at his partner before turning back towards Hardy, who sat comfortably with a smirk.

"You'll have to pardon my friends here," Hardy smiled, "they really are nice people, though they are more of an insurance investment."

Kermit rolled his eyes at JE, who continued to struggle with them..

Hardy continued, "being such clever business associates, I'm sure you know exactly what I'm talking about."

Kermit finally spoke up, "so what do you want, anyway?"

JE roared after him, "yeah! And give me back my belt!"

Hardy yawned and put the knife on the table before placing his hands behinds his head and sitting back.

"I'm sure y'all noticed that I ‘no-showed' our match tonight, yes?" Hardy asked.

"Sure did," JE growled, "fucking coward."

"Hey now, CD! If I was such a coward, would I be here right now?" Hardy laughed, "But seriously, I was working out some plans for the next show..."

"I want you!" JE shouted and pointed a finger at Hardy.

"Join the masses, XYZ, or whatever your name is..." Hardy responded, taking a shot at JE's name.

"Fuck you..." JE muttered.

"Cripes, buddy," Hardy laughed, "could you be any more stereotypically bland? As far as I'm concerned, you're just angry badass number umpteen..."

JE scoffed and quickly looked over his shoulder at Kermit, who he thought had just snickered at him.

"You almost done?" Kermit sighed, wondering if this even concerned him at all.

"Oh, you!" Hardy laughed, "I almost forgot you were there, froggy! You can go whenever you want..."

Kermit nodded slightly and grabbed his already packed bag. He approached the door to leave when he felt JE's gaze upon him. He stopped in his tracks and raised an eyebrow.

"Yes?" Kermit asked his partner.

"You're just gonna leave like that!?" he asked with a demanding tone.

"Well I certainly understand the important of confidentiality when it comes to business meetings like this," Kermit grinned, "and besides, you were the one who wanted to find this man so badly... so have at it!"

Before JE could respond, Kermit gave another slight nod and was gone from the room. With the odds not in his favor, JE backed away slightly.

"Oh shoot!" Hardy snapped his fingers, "I forgot to tell Kermit about the match that you guys have at the next show! All three of us are involved!"

JE crossed his arms, "you gonna chicken out of this one too?"

Hardy finally stood up, "goodness, no! In fact... I think I'm pretty integral to the match, seeing as I'll be officiating it and all..."

"What the hell are you talking about?" JE asked.

"Buck up, champ!" Hardy smiled and adjusted the title belt on his shoulder, "looks like you and your friend will be competing for this lovely slab of gold!"

JE raised an eyebrow and shook his head.

"Christ," Hardy muttered, "do I have to spell it out for you? It's you against Kermit, with me as the guest ref! Ain't that fantastic!?"

"You've got to be shitting me..." JE growled.

"Oh, believe me, I kid you not!" Hardy laughed, "And this nice shiny belt is up for grabs. Of course, neither of you will actually get this belt, but you'll still get to be called the champion... until I feel taking that title too..."

"Fuck you, Hardy!" JE yelled, "Whose dick did you have to suck to pull this off?"

"Hey now!" Hardy responded, "Miss Stern may have a surprisingly large clit, but it's just rude to compare it to a dick! For shame, boy! Besides... I didn't HAVE to suck it!"

"What the hell are you talking about?" a bewildered JE asked.

"You'll find out when you're older, but for now why don't you check out what I've done to your little belt?" Hardy smirked.

He held forward the Aftershock title with a chuckle. What JE saw was not the title he worked so hard to achieve, but a defaced amalgamation of gold, leather and some weird green stuff. Apparently molded right into the gold was a giant, neon green Infinity symbol. Below that was not JE's name plate, but a stylized David Hardy name. Hardy patted it slightly before throwing it into the corner.

"You like?" Hardy grinned.

"You son of a bitch..." JE said under his breath.

Hardy approached JE with a big grin on his face, "I guess you'll just need some time to adjust. You will have plenty of time though, seeing as you ain't never gonna get that belt from me..."

Without warning, JE suddenly leaped forward towards Hardy, slipping between the hired goons. He got within three feet of Hardy when he was suddenly jerked back and held in place. He struggled intensely but couldn't break the grip of the two large men latched onto him.

"You stupid little bitch..." Hardy growled, his attitude changing from cocky and annoying to sinister.

Hardy stepped towards JE and got in his face.

"Listen to me, assclown!" Hardy yelled, "As long as I'm around, you will never, EVER get your hands on that belt! You hear me!? I might as well just fuck you over in your next match and give the win to Kermit, would you like that!?"

"Up yours!" JE shouted.

Hardy growled and suddenly slapped JE hard across the face.

"Keep pushing me like that and I'll have this match made into a triple threat so I can kick your ass myself..." Hardy said in a soft, cold voice.

"Be my guest, dickless..." JE said before spitting in Hardy's face.

Hardy stumbled back quickly and grabbed a towel from the wall, wiping off the spit as quickly as he could. He looked down at the towel then at JE with disgust.

"You don't know how to keep your mouth shut, do you?" Hardy asked.

JE responded, "You don't know how to-"

JE was cut off by the towel suddenly being jammed into his mouth. Hardy peered deep into his eyes, looking like a maniac. He didn't stop once the towel was in JE's mouth, though, he just kept shoving the towel deeper. JE's eyes widened as he could feel the towel slowly go deeper and deeper down his throat.

"Don't you ever forget who I am, or what I'm capable of, Mr. Roboto..." Hardy whispered.

JE moaned he could no longer breath due to the towel being pushed so deep into his throat. He could feel it press hard against his gag reflex and suddenly felt a rush of bile up his throat. His eyes widened as a major traffic jam formed inside of him. JE struggled wildly but it did not good. Everything momentarily went black before his vision came back.

"I've always wanted to do something like this..." Hardy smirked, "that doesn't make me evil, does it?"

The towel was suddenly yanked out of JE's mouth and thrown aside. Following the towel was a steady stream of vomit shooting out of JE's mouth and onto the floor. Once his mouth and throat were clear, JE struggled to breathe heavily.

"Jesus, dude..." Hardy said, looking at the chunks on the floor, "that's not cool."

Hardy turned away from JE as he looked up, weak and shaky.

"I hate you..." JE shivered.

Hardy remained still with his back to JE. He stayed quiet for several moments.

"No...," he said, "not yet you don't..."

Hardy suddenly turned back towards JE and walked towards him, this time with the large hunting knife in his hand. He reached forwards and grabbed JE by the hair, pulling his face up to see Hardy's."

"But you will..." he finished.

JE suddenly felt a strong blow to the back of his head and he dropped forward, losing consciousness along the way. The last thing he saw was the pool of his own puke rapidly coming up at him. Then everything was black.

Kermit waited by the door. The noise coming from the locker room gave a clear indication of what was going on. JE was getting the crap beat out of him. Slowly, and with great care to be quiet, Kermit pulled out his cell phone. After a few seconds of punching in numbers, he sent off a text.

outside. wait for him. it's a go.

He placed the cell phone back in his pocket. He hoped the Mayhem were ready, because Kermit knew well enough that he wasn't. His head was pounding and everything seemed a little blurry.

Just the stress he thought. A little courage and I will be fine.

He pulled out another small bottle of Jack, hotel mini bars love just giving these away. In one drink he downed the small bottle. The hallway began to focus.

Alright. Much better.

While he felt a bit bad for JE and what the kid must be going thru in there, he had to let it happen. JE had to face Hardy one on one ( or one on one on goons in this case) to motivate him. Over the past weeks of drinking, Kermit discovered something about his partner, and about himself. They talk to much. They plan big, and in doing so, forget the small hiccups along the way. The sound of a body hitting the floor snapped Kermit out of his thoughts.

Go time. But first.

He took another drink.

Here goes nothing.

He opened the door and the sight that greeted him was something he expected. JE was on the floor not moving, yet still breathing. Standing over him, was Hardy and his "back up". The sight brought back memories. Anthony Sbezzo looked the same way before Kermit had him killed. He was the last roadblock on Kermit's rise to power. Despite himself, Kermit smiled a little, not noticing that all eyes in the room were on him.

"What do you want?" Hardy growled.

"Huh? Me?" was Kermit's response.

The glare of the men drilled into to Kermit.

"Just thought I forgot something. Brains been a little confused lately. Ya know how it goes." he said thru a fake grin.

"Nice work. Reminds me of a past experience really. The vomit is a nice touch."

Hardy looked a bit confused now, but retained his composure.

"You wanna join him?"

"Nah.." replied the mobster, waving off his comment. " Been there a few times myself. Know exactly how it feels. But if you wouldn't mind, it's kinda hard to have a tag team without your tag partner so how about I take him eh?"

"Whatever you say. I think he's learned his lesson."

Hardy snapped his fingers and went to leave, goons in tow.

"O and Kermit."

The mobster looked at Hardy.

"Yea?"

Hardy smiled.

"Good luck on your match."

He left the room laughing, bodyguards following behind him. Kermit breathed a deep sigh.

That went better than expected.

Turning his attention to JE, Kermit knelt down next to the man's unconscious body. Kermit flipped him over and slapped his face gently a few times.

"Hey kid, wake up."

No response. Kermit sink and got a hand full of water. After splashing it on JE's face, he tried again.

"Come on, nap time's over."

Again, no response. Kermit felt the back on JE's head and now knew why. A large knot was already forming. The kid was out cold. Kermit sighed again. Hardy wasn't playing around.

"Warned you man. Get all headstrong and cock sure, and look where it gets ya."

Kermit shook his head.

"Well, you will have one hell of a headache when you wake up. Hopefully it knocked some sense into you."

Kermit got up and left JE lying in a pool of vomit. He walked slowly down the hallway towards the parking lot.

Too much to do, too little time.

He saw a staff member walking the opposite direction down the hall. Kermit signaled him

"Heya. JE's out like a light in the locker room back there. I think you should get the medics."

The staff member looked at Kermit with a strange expression. Kermit sighed inwardly.

"You deaf? Go on, get him some medical attention."

The staffer ran towards the locker room.

Excellent. My good dead for the day. I should celebrate back at the hotel room.

He smiled to himself as he continued walking.

-------------------------------------------

Hardy left the arena, goons following close behind him. Together, they made there way to the black limo packed and waiting. Hardy still had the same twisted smile on his face about his beating to JE. Revenge is a wonderful thing.The limousine driver got out of the vehicle and went to open the trunk. He stood by and waited for Hardy.

"Save it, I have no luggage."

"Yes sir." the man nodded and closed the trunk. As he opened the door to the back seat, Hardy stopped him.

"You aren't the driver I had before."

"No sir. Agency sent him to pick up a Mister Kermit, I believe the name was. Something about wanting the best if I remember."

"What's you name?"

"Floyd sir."

"Well Floyd, take us to the Bristol Hotel. You do know how to get there?"

"Yes sir. I know it very well. In fact a few of my regu..."

Hardy cut him off.

"I don't care. Just drive."

Hardy and his men got into the backseat, and Floyd closed the door. He got into the driver's sear and checked the mirror. Hardy was staring out the window. Floyd picked up a cell phone sitting on the seat and sent a quick message.

in the car. moving out.

He started the limo up, and began to drive out of the arena parking lot. Two black sedans followed, with the member of the mayhem driving each one.

Jess was walking backstage, looking for JE. She didn't come with JE in the beginning of the evening, so she decided to surprise him, but she had some difficulty's finding him. At this time of the night, most people from TCW had already left building, and the few people who remained where roadie's and ring crew. She had been by ringside to see if any of the ring crew knew where he was, but all they knew is that he was in the parking lot with Kermit. When she went outside to take a look, she could see that there was no one there. She went back inside and saw a couple of roadie's talking to one another; she went up to them to see if they knew where JE was.

"Excuse me?" said Jess as she walked up to one of the roadie's, "do you know where JE is?"

"Sorry miss, were not allowed to give that information away to fans." Replied the roadie, not knowing who Jess was. Jess gave the man an evil glare that only a woman could give.

"I'm JE's girlfriend, Jess."

"Oh, now I remember. I've seen you once or twice by ringside for some of JE's matches. The last I knew he was in his locker room with Kermit. Too bad there match was cancelled."

"Cancelled? Why?"

"We can't say, sorry. Their locker room is just down this corridor." The roadie points down the long corridor behind him.

"Thanks." Jess makes her way to the corridor. From the corner of her eye, she sees a man with brown hair laughing heading towards the exit followed by two large men. When the man with the brown hair turned to his side, Jess saw that he was carrying a championship belt with some strange green sigma in the centre. She could just make out the engraving on the nameplate: "David Hardy."

"That's David Hardy? So he must still have JE's belt?" Jess thought to herself.

She made her way down the corridor to JE's locker room. She stopped in front of one that had the letter's "LBA". She knocked the door twice and said:

"Baby, it's me Jess. Are you in there."

No answer came from the inside, she knocked again:

"Baby. Are you in there?"

Once again, no answer. She tried her luck at the doorknob and, it opened. She stepped through the door:

"Baby, are you...OH MY GOD!"

The sight she saw was not a pretty one. On the floor of the locker room laid am unconscious JE, next to him a pool of what Jess presumed to be his own vomit.

"Baby, wake. Please get up." Jess had rushed to her man and turned him over. She slapped him a couple of times to try and wake him up. And, it worked, as JE was coming to:

"Hum...what the hell? Jess?" said a groggy JE.

"Oh baby, you're ok. What happened?"

"I'm...not s-sure?"

"Here you sit down here and I'll get you some water from the hall."

Jess sat JE on a bench and left to get some water for. JE was left there, his head in his hand's, trying to remember what had happened not too long ago. He remembered Kermit leaning against the black wall with his arms crossed, two large men holding him back, the neon green Infinity logo moulded on his Aftershock title and the name plate with the words "David Hardy", Kermit leaving the locker room, JE being pushed to the floor by the hired goons, and David Hardy, sticking a towel down his throat with a sadistic smile.

"Hardy..." JE said under his breath.

"Baby, you ok?" said Jess, who had just walked in with a cup of water for JE. "Here you go, drink it slowly." Said Jess as she handed the cup to JE, but he ignored her advice and swigged it back in one gulp.

"What happened?" Jess asked her man.

"Hardy...that's what happened."

"You mean David Hardy? I just saw him leave ten minutes ago."

JE's eyes suddenly shot at Jess from what she said.

"What? You saw him? He didn't do anything to you, did he?"

"No. He didn't see me."

"Thank god. Things are getting crazy around here. But don't worry I'll be fine."

"Fine? I see you lying next to a pool of you're own vomit and you say you'll be fine. I saw that Jason Dante in wheel chair, paralysed from the neck down, and I begin to worry." Jess was getting hysterical; the tears were streaming from her eyelids.

"Hey, hey, hey. Calm down. You know I would never let anything happen to you. And if anyone knocks me down, I'll just get up again, you know that. Now come one, I've got enough problems without you crying."

"What do you mean?" said Jess, who was had calmed down a bit.

"Me and Kermit, we've got a match, with Hardy"

"Against Hardy and someone from Infinity?"

"No."

"A triple threat?"

"No."

"Then what?"

"At the next PPV, it's me against Kermit for the Aftershock title."

Jess opened her mouth with a gasp.

"And Hardy's the special guest referee."

"What? How did that happen?"

"I don't know. But I've got to talk with Kermit, he's been acting strange."

"What do you mean?"

"He's been drinking a lot. Bottles of Jack Daniels. He's staying at the Marriott not to far from here."

"You want to go now?"

"Yes, the sooner the better."

"The rental's outside."

"You drive, I still haven't shaken the last of what Hardy did."

"Ok."

JE grabbed his leather jacket, put it on, grabbed his bag and both he and Jess left the locker room. They made there way to the cold outside and entered the rental car. JE entered in the passenger's seat, while Jess got in the driver's side.

They drove down the Sheffield street with no mood to hurry. JE was trying to get his head around this whole situation; trying to figure out why would Stern book this match, and what else did Infinity have up their sleeves for the PPV.

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15 minutes after they left the arena, JE and Jess arrived at the hotel Marriott. Kermit had tolled JE what room he was staying at earlier in the night. Room 356 on the 4th floor. On the elevator leading up to the floor, JE was trying to guess what mood Kermit was going to be in; whether he would be the calm calculative Kermit, or this new and drunken Kermit. The elevator stopped, JE and Jess stepped out of the elevator and turned left heading towards Kermit's suite. They stopped in front of the door and JE knocked it, without a reply. They could hear voices coming from the room. JE knocked again.

"Kermit, It's JE. Remember, you're partner. Open up," said JE as he knocked kept on knocking the door.

"It's open." Said a voice from the inside, Kermit's voice.

JE and Jess entered the room and what they saw was nothing that was from the usual of Kermit. There were small bottles of tequila, Jack Daniels, and Vodka taken from the mini bar scattered all over the floor, a lamp was knocked down next to the bed, and Kermit was sitting down in a chair watching some British porn with a full bottle of Jack Daniels in his hand.

"Hey man. You're up," Said Kermit, a bit droopy eyed, "join the party." And with that, Kermit took a swig at the bottle of Jack.

JE had enough; he took the bottle of Jack from Kermit's hands, and threw it across the room as it smashed on the wall.

"What's you're problem man?" said Kermit, as he got up from his chair.

"My problem? What's you're problem? You left me in that locker room with that mad man. He knocked me out and you just walked out."

"I went back in to check on you. Tried to revive you when Hardy and the goons left. Heck, I even called someone to wake you up."

"Bullshit. If it wasn't for Jess, I would still be on that floor."

Silence fell the room as both men gave each other a menacing glare. The silence was broken from the moans of a woman on the TV.

"And what's all this about you drinking? What's up with that?" asked and inquisitive JE.

"I've had issues to deal with."

"Issues? What issues?"

"How about you beating me to win that title. And since I came to this company, I haven't moved up to where I thought I was going to be. Hell this thing was supposed a hobby and know it's taking more of my time than anything else. And every time I think I have the upper hand over my opponent, they're one step ahead of me. You proved it yourself when you threw me over the top rope and one that belt."

"So what? You want to end this, you and me?"

"I don't know. Sometimes I think where I would be without you."

Silence fell in the room once again. Both men staring at each other.

"We have a match." Said JE.

"Against who? Hardy and Shadow again? Hope they show up this time."

"Hardy is in the match, but it's not a tag match."

"Then what kind of match is it?" said Kermit as he fell on the bed.

"It's... you against me, for the Aftershock Championship." Kermit's eyes suddenly were wide open as JE said that last part. "And David Hardy's the special guest referee."

Kermit stood up once again. "Well, that is interesting."

"I've got and idea. Hardy just wants us to fight each other. But I say we fight him. We beat him up in the ring and then take back my title. And we send a message to Infinity and the whole of TCW that you don't mess with the LBA."

"What do I get in return?" asked Kermit.

"What do you mean? We take out a member of Infinity, isn't that what you want?"

"Yes. But that's all I get. You on the other hand get to beat up Hardy and finally get you're hands on the Aftershock title."

"What are you saying?"

"I'm saying that maybe I want that belt for myself."

"What? If we don't work together, then the second one of us win, he's just going to run away with the belt again. We need to do this to make it clear to Infinity that were no push overs."

"Maybe I want to send a message to Infinity be winning that belt for myself."

JE took a step forward and went face to face with Kermit.

"Well then, I guess we have nothing else to talk about then."

"Well I guess we don't."

JE and Jess left the room, leaving Kermit to ponder what his strategy was going into this match.

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Across town, Hardy and his hired goons were still in the stretched limo, unaware that it was being driven by one of the Electric Mayhem, Kermit's personal hit men, and that he was being followed by two black sedans were following them. Hardy was getting pissed off that the journey was taking longer that it should of.

"Hey, Floyd or what ever you're name is. Why is this taking so long? We should be at the hotel by now?" said Hardy, still holding to "his" Aftershock title.

"Don't worry sir, were taking a short cut." Said Floyd.

"Short cut my ass. Stop here I'll get a taxi to the hotel."

"I'm afraid I can't let you do that mister Hardy." After the driver had said that, the window that separated the driver's side of the limo to the passenger closed and the doors were locked.

"What the hell are you doing? You better stop this car right now before I break this glass." Said Hardy has he pressed the intercom button.

"I don't think that's going to happen. You see this is reinforced glass my friend." As the driver said that, Hardy saw that he had a large gold tooth in on of his front teeth.

"Who are you?"

"A friend of Kermit's. Now at this time I would like you to take a look at you left window."

Hardy turned his head to the left and looked out of the window. He saw the sight of Animal, with a wide smile on his face, sticking a gun out of the passenger's side window pointing it at Hardy.

"And now, " said the driver, "I would like you to look out of the right window."

Hardy crossed over to the right side, looked out of the window to see Rowlf sticking a gun out of the passenger's side window, pointing it at Hardy.

"Now just sit back and enjoy the ride, it wont be long till we get to the destination."

Hardy had no choice. He just had to sit back and wait to see were this people were taking him.

To be continued...

JE and Jess stood in the doorway of their hotel room, engaged in a long kiss. When their lips finally broke apart, they stood for a few moments, gazing into each others eyes. Jess seemed a bit shaky, perhaps worried about what her man might be up against, perhaps worried about what he had in store for Hardy. Or maybe even Kermit? Their last meeting didn't go so well, and Kermit seemingly had the funds and contacts to do whatever he pleased. Would he do something to her man, JE?

"Are you sure you want me to stay here?" Jess asked softly.

JE let out a long breath, "Yeah, I think that would be best. You know I don't want you getting hurt..."

"Yeah, but you know I can handle myself just fine," Jess responded.

JE nodded but quickly shook his head afterwards, "Yeah, but I'm not so sure about you being around Hardy. The guy is a God-damn psycho... I don't even want to imagine what he would do if you were around."

"But what if he comes here?" Jess asked, "Who will protect me then?"

"Don't worry, huh, it ain't gonna happen." JE smiled, "I registered under a fake name, so unless Hardy has some deep connections, I doubt he'll ever be able to find us here."

Jess nodded and looked down, "so what do you plan on doing?"

"Whatever I need to..." JE said with a serious look coming over his face.

From down the hall walked a hotel employee towards JE. When he got to JE and Jess, he stood firmly and looked at JE with a smile.

"Pardon me, sir, are you Paul Sirico?" asked the worker.

JE nodded at him, "since birth."

The worker smiled and held a pair of keys towards JE.

"Here you are, sir," the worker said, "the Hummer you requested is waiting downstairs for you."

"Thanks," JE said and slipped the worker a twenty.

"Thank you, sir!" smiled the worker as he scurried off.

"A Hummer?" Jess blinked.

JE smirked, "Whatever takes care of business. It's time for me to go."

"Oh take care, baby!" Jess said and hugged her man one last time.

"I'll see you soon, babe," JE said, "Call me if you need anything."

They kissed one last time and JE quickly disappeared behind the closed door. Now he had one thing on his mind: Revenge.

Jess sighed and pressed her hand against the door, "Love you..."

****************************

David Hardy sighed and sat back in the limo, jamming his hands into his pockets. Every now and then he would glance out the windows to see the men driving on either side, still focused on him. He would simply make some kind of face at them then sit back in his spot. The two large henchmen on either side of him also looked at him, not quite sure what actions they should take. Despite the tough situation, Hardy seemed oddly calm.

"So, Floyd," Hardy said, "is the fools with guns outside really necessary?"

Floyd spoke softly, "boss's orders."

"So Kermit is organizing a little party, just for me?" Hardy asked with a slight playfulness in his voice.

Floyd shook his head and focused on the road, remaining silent.

Hardy nodded slowly, "Alright, I getcha, some sort of big secret, huh?"

"Something like that..." Floyd responded.

"Nice limo, I must say..." Hardy smirked, "with perfect driver controlled locks and reinforced glass. And the two assclowns outside with their nice shiny weapons too. Even they got nice cars! Hopefully they have a driver as charming as mine."

Floyd grinned slightly, "I doubt it."

"But all things, considered, this is a pretty nice setup," Hardy nodded, "it's always good to have a friend with a lot of money, isn't it?"

With those words, Hardy's thumb pressed the send button on the cell phone in his pocket. A calm smile came across his face as his text message to Shadow instantly shot through the airwaves, reaching its destination. Yes, it certainly is good to have a friend with a lot of money. Someone with a billion dollar empire and an army of workers who can bail you out no matter the situation. It would only be a matter of time before the cavalry arrived to take him home. Hardy didn't know much about Kermit, but it was clear that his froggy opponent did not know who he was dealing with.

"Find me..." Hardy mouthed silently, repeating one of the objectives of his text message to Shadow.

It wasn't long before his phone vibrated softly. With his eyes firmly on Floyd ahead of him, he slid his phone out of his pocket, just enough to see a bit of the screen. He sat back between the guards and out of sight of the gunmen. For a split second he glanced down at the screen to see the response from Shadow.

"Found you. Help on way."

Hardy smiled and sat back forward, "Comfy seats. Say, Floyd... have you ever shopped at S-Mart?"

Floyd muttered to himself before shaking his head, "Just be quiet, will you?"

"Floyd, I can't help but feel a slight sense of hostility from you, wassupwitdat?" Hardy said sarcastically.

"Shut up," Floyd responded.

"Whatever, dude..." Hardy sighed.

With a few moments of silence, Hardy took the time to examine his surroundings. It was an interesting plan that Kermit came up with, but Hardy began to theorize some holes in the execution of it. Although Hardy was, among many other things, brash and often over-emotional, he certainly wasn't stupid. In fact, sometimes he's too smart for his own good.

"So Floyd, besides those gunners out there, what's to stop me from breaking the windows and jumping out onto the street?" Hardy asked.

"I told you, kid, the whole damn car has got reinforced glass, so unless you got a tank, you ain't going anywhere..." Floyd scoffed.

Hardy yawned slightly and crossed his arms. He glanced slightly at Animal and Rowlfski, guns in hands. He then made eye contact with his two goons, a slight smirk on his face. Maintaining the eye contact, he nodded softly at each of them. Hardy knew that they each had at least two pieces on them. His eyes slowly narrowed to a serious glare as he focused his attention on Floyd.

"Unless, of course," Hardy said softly, "like your friends out there... you had guns... then you have power, don't you?"

A concerned expression came over Floyd's face as he examined the rear view mirror, looking Hardy dead in the face. Hardy smirked and held up a hand, bringing his ring and pinky finger down to form his hand in the shape of a gun. Like a true Hardy boy. His face turned serious again as he pointed his hand at Floyd. Nobody saw one of Hardy's goons slip something

"I'm curious to see just how strong this glass really is..."

***************************

JE sped down the city streets in his Hummer like a bat out of hell. He wasn't quite sure where he was going, but he knew he was going to find his target. He could feel it. And he would not accept anything less than satisfaction. And that satisfaction would be inflicting excessive amounts of pain on David Hardy. He just had to find him first.

It would have been much easier if he could have used Kermit's connections to find out where Hardy was staying and other info, but he wasn't so sure if Kermit would be willing to provide it. This Kermit was different from the man he formed a partnership with. This one was a sloppy, careless drunk by the looks of things. And although he could understand why Kermit was attracted by the chance to win the Aftershock title, JE was surprised that he was so willing to take it from a partner. JE couldn't help but wonder where their partnership would stand after the match at Apeirophobia.

JE came to a red light and stopped the Hummer. It was late at night and there was hardly any traffic, so hitting a red light at an empty intersection was a pain in the ass. He smacked the steering wheel and sat back in his seat, waiting for the light to turn. He stared blankly ahead until something crossed the intersection ahead of him, catching his eye. It was an elegant limousine followed by two black sedans. At first glance he thought he recognized the limo driver, but he shrugged the thought off. Then he saw something he definitely recognized. Like a bull seeing red, JE's blood instantly started boiling. It was him. Hardy.

"I've got you now, motherfucker..."

JE did a sudden U-turn and sped down a side street, parallel to the street Hardy's limo was on. He hammered the gas as his anger took control...

**********************

"What the hell are you doing?" Floyd demanded.

Hardy shook his head, "pushing it..."

"Cut that shit out..." Floyd muttered.

Hardy tilted his head and lurched forward out of his seat, moving forward a few steps on his knees. He turned his attention to Rowlfski on one side before turning to Animal on the other. He glared at both of them before flopping forward and onto the limo floor. Both Kermit's henchmen looked bewildered as Hardy was now below the window level and out of sight. Floyd looked in the mirror but only saw Hardy's goons looking around.

"What the hell?" Floyd grimaced, "what are you doing now?"

Having to keep his eyes on the road, he glanced over his shoulder occasionally but could not see Hardy. He cursed to himself, muttering about the stupid games the young superstar was playing. Floyd glanced in the mirror one last time and gasped at what he saw, nearly slamming on the breaks. Hardy was directly behind him, with a gun pointed at him, just inches behind his head.

"I don't think that's a very good idea, kid," Floyd said.

"I didn't ask..." Hardy responded.

Animal and Rowlf both pointed their weapons at Hardy, their fingers ready to squeeze the trigger. It was a few seconds later that they noticed Hardy's entourage inside the limo were pointing their own weapons at them. It was a stand-off at top speed.

"Look, kid, I don't know what you think you're doing, but if you try anything, you're as good as dead," Floyd said, a slight bit of nervousness in his voice.

"Well what do you have to worry about, friend?" Hardy asked between hard breaths, obviously seething, "This is pretty strong glass, ain't it? Nothing to be afraid of, right?"

"All of you put the guns down..." Floyd demanded, "Or this won't end well..."

"Are you fucking retarded!?" Hardy yelled, "Did you really think I'd bring bodyguards without guns!?"

"I'm just the God-damned driver!" Floyd yelled back at Hardy.

"Don't you dare lie to me, you stupid son of a bitch!" Hardy said, hitting his gun against the glass divider, "you will stop the car, NOW!!!"

"Up yours, kid, you don't got the balls..." Floyd whispered.

"It won't be long now until my buddy Shadow's backup reaches us," Hardy growled, "and when they get here, you are all fucking toast... you hear me!? ALL FUCKING TOA-"

Suddenly there was a loud, metallic crunching sound as something plowed through the car next to them. They all turned their head to see what looked like a Hummer coming right at them from the side. But it was too late. Everything went blurry as Hardy felt his body lift off the floor and slam against the corner. Then it went black....

...

...

...

...

...

"Where the hell are you, Hardy!?"

David Hardy slowly opened his eyes to find himself half on the ceiling of the limo, and half on the concrete road. He could feel a steady flow of blood leaking from his temple down the side of his face as he lifted his head off the pavement. He looked ahead to see one of the black sedans overturned about sixty feet ahead of him. The front end was totaled and the whole car was on fire. He tried to shake the dizziness from his head as he heard the voice again.

"Get your ass out here!"

Hardy rolled over and looked above him to see the floor of the limousine above him. At least what formerly was a limousine. The vehicle was split clean in half in the impact. Off to the side, Hardy noticed the other half of the limo with the front end wrapped around a pole. He could see Floyd hunched over the steering wheel, clearly unconscious. With a wince he looked back in the car at his hired goons. They were both in a mangled looking heap and bleeding heavily.

Hardy tried to push himself up, but he was too rattled from the crash to muster up the energy. Through the shattered window of his half limo, Hardy could see the second sedan crashed through the window of some store. Hardy groaned and closed his eyes, putting his throbbing head down on the ground. He began to slip away again when suddenly something grabbed him by the hair. A hand yanked his head up and he was brought face to face with the assailant.

"You didn't think I'd let you get away with that, did you?" Hardy was asked.

Over him stood JE, mad as a hornet. He stared at Hardy with fierce bloodshot eyes. In his hand he held what looked like a crowbar. JE yanked Hardy up by the hair even more and pressed the crowbar to his face.

"All this shit you've done to me is finally coming back to bite you in the ass now Hardy..." JE growled.

Hardy moaned and spewed up a bit of blood, fighting to stay conscious. The burning wreckage all around him made the area extremely warm.

"Maybe it's time you learned there is no action without consequence!" JE yelled.

"You ain't kidding..." said a voice behind JE.

JE could hear a gun cocking behind him and he slowly turned his head around to see. It was Rowlfski, holding a gun to JE's head. JE could see that Kermit's man was pretty banged up. He was bleeding all over and his arm looked fucked up, though not nearly enough to stop him.

"Rowlf," JE said, "You know me... put it down..."

"I guess it's fair to say..." Rowlfski winced, "that your working relationship with Mr. Kermit is over..."

"Look man," JE said, holding his hands up now, dropping Hardy to the ground, "I'm sorry that you were involved, I'm here for Hardy and Hardy only..."

JE dropped the crowbar now and turned slowly to Rowlf, shaking his head.

"Easy man, easy," JE pleaded, "Look, I'll make this up to you, but I'm not here to deal with you right now..."

Slowly, from around the other side of the limo, Kermit's other henchman; Animal limped towards JE, a furious look on his face. JE looked over at him quickly.

JE shook his head, "Look man, I'm sorry, this ain't my fault but-"

Animal whispered very lightly, "don't you dare lie to me..."

The injured and furious Animal and Rowlfski circled around JE, both ready and willing to kill this man after the stunt that he just pulled. Neither of them saw Hardy slowly pull out his cell phone and dialed a number. The other end rang softly before somebody picked up. It was too late though, as Hardy slipped away...

The rain pounded hard on the balcony of the Kermit's Palace Suite at the Culloden Estate, but those inside paid it no mind. Business was more important than the weather, which seemed to compliment the dark talk that was commencing. Kermit sat in a large and comfortable chair in the private dining area. Seated around the room, where the key members of this plan.

Kermit - I have had enough folks, and it's shown. I am tired of losing, tired of being mocked, tired of failing. When I came into this, I said I would be number one, just like in Chicago. But I failed. I assumed these cats were beneath me, and so I went light on them. Always held back, never gave it the full go. But that changes today. No more freebees, no more kid gloves. We are going all out.

Dr Teeth rubbed his sore head before speaking.

Teeth - Why bother Boss? We need to be back in Chicago before shit gets more out of hand there.

Several people in the room nodded, but Kermit waved them off.

Kermit - Chicago will be fine for awhile. The De Luca's has arrived, and are backing up Foz with taking of the situation. I will not run away after be so insulted here.

Rowlfski - Kermit, those in Chicago insult you too. Zey mock your power by daring to attack.

Kermit - And their time will come too. First with have to deal with this match. It's simple really. Another week and I will be back in Chi-Town.

Floyd - What's your plan?

Kermit - I have been insulted. Every since he got that damn belt, he has rubbed it in my face. Taunting me, provoking me into action. Well, we are going after that rat bastard and hitting him where it hurts.

Rowlfski - Which is?

Kermit - His dumb bitch. This punk needs to learn that I am the one in charge, not him. Hold his girl until the match, and I think he will get the message.

Rowlfski - But that's not the way we work Boss! We only go after the target, not those associated with him. You set that rule when you took back power!

Kermit - And I am changing the rule. These guys don't follow our rules. Nobody in this whole damn fed plays by our rules. And he certainly doesn't.

Teeth - *laughs* I always thought you were too light anyway Boss. Okay, so how do we find the whore?

Kermit - Simple. I've got Gonz keeping an eye out. Where this puissant is, his woman will be there too. Wait for his signal, and then we move in. Take his chick with him right there. I want him to know who did it. I want him to feel helpless. That outta put the fear of me into his heart. Teeth, Animal, and Rowlf, you will be there with me. Zoot and Floyd, you're on car duty.

Janice - Like, what about me.

Kermit flashed an evil grin.

Kermit - Baby, I want you ready to light up the night. Get your gear ready, I need my firebug with me.

Janice was confused by Kermit's cryptic talk, but lately he has been acting very weird. She pushed the thoughts from her head. She would have time after this match to push him up against a wall and talk. But he needed it more than she did.

Kermit - ... so everyone be ready for my call.

And with that, the meeting was over and each member of the Muppets present went to prepare for their assignments, leaving Kermit alone, listening to the heavy rain outside his room.

-----------------------------------------------------------------

JE and Jess arrived at their hotel, JE still as nervous as when they departed England. He fucked up, and he knew it. Hardy was a ruthless bastard these days, and Kermit was becoming unpredictable. JE messed up Kermit's plan, and with the mobsters drinking habits lately, their alliance was most likely at an end. JE knew firsthand what Kermit was capable of, and while he didn't fear what the mob boss would do to him, he feared for the safety of Jess.

They pulled their luggage out of the taxi and headed inside. While checking in, JE kept looking around the large room. Plenty of people around here to blend in with, or for somebody else to blend into. Either way, the place was busy. Kermit wouldn't come after him or Jess with a crowd around him. They got their door card and got into the elevator. Seconds after the doors closed, Hardy, arm linked with Lita, strolled into the lobby and up to the front desk.

The cell phone of the man seated in the corner rang. Gonzola picked it up.

You find out where they are staying?

Gonzola - Ya, the Europa.

What room?

Gonzola - Haven't found out yet.

Did JE notice you?

Gonzola - No, but he is pretty paranoid.

Good. We move tonight.

-----------------------------------------------------------

JE aimlessly clicked thru the channels of the television in their room. He had no interest in watching TV, but his boredom combined with nervousness, forced him to do something.

Jess - Why don't we go downstairs for dinner hun?

JE - I don't think we should be seen. I don't know what Kermit's planning.

Jess - Look babe. I don't think Kermit would do anything against you. Sure, he's most likely angry, but you're his partner in this. I don't think he would throw that away.

JE - You saw him! He's not himself lately. Kermit may put on the façade that he is an honorable man, but I've seen him when he gets focused on something and when he gets angry. Throw in his drinking, I don't think anything is off limits to him anymore.

Jess - Well I am tired of hiding in a little hole all the time. Call him. Maybe you can talk things over with him?

JE - I think we are beyond that point.

A knock on the door interrupted their argument.

JE - Whose there?

"Room service." Came the response.

JE - We didn't order any.

"Well I have an order here for this room. Dinner for two."

JE shot Jess a nervous look. This was not good.

----------------------------------------------------------

Kermit, Gonzola, Animal, Rowlfski, and Dr Teeth waited outside the door. Only Gonzola was visible, dressed in the standard attire of a bellhop with the Europa.

Gonzola - I just deliver the food Sir.

The door opened. Hardy stood in the doorway.

Hardy - And I told you we didn't ord....

He was cut off by the sight of a pistol to his face.

Kermit - If you want to die, then by all means shout. Otherwise, go into the room.

Hardy walked backwards into his hotel room, eyes angrily fixed on Kermit. The five Muppets entered the room and shut the door behind them. Lita exited from the bathroom.

Lita - Did you tell them...

Two pistols turned towards her.

Kermit - Not a word cutie. Go sit on the bed.

Lita followed the direction, after looking at Hardy who nodded.

Kermit - Good. Take a seat David, I can call you David right?

Hardy stood his ground.

Hardy - I would prefer to stand.

Kermit - I didn't ask what you would prefer to do. I said take a seat.

Hardy stood still. He was not going to let this guy push him around.

Kermit - Fine. Take your pick. Rowlf! Kill her.

The Russian smiled as he pulled back the hammer of his silenced 9mm.

Hardy - Wait!

All eyes focused on him.

Hardy - Fine. I'll sit.

Kermit - Thought you would.

Kermit flashed an evil grin at Hardy.

Kermit - Okay David, here is what's going to happen. Lita will go downstairs with two of my friends here. She will get into a car and that car will drive away. With me so far?

Hardy nodded.

Kermit - Now if she makes a scene, or tries to alert anyone to this, and please pay attention to this darling, it is important. If she does not get into the car or if she makes a scene, I will shoot you David. Point blank, in the head.

Hardy's glaring was seething with anger at Kermit. Who does this fucker think he is. If Kermit was concerned by Hardy's hateful stare, it did not show.

Kermit - And before you think you can alert people to what's happening in this room and they can save your boyfriend, know this. The driver of the car you get into, is going to call me. And when he calls me, he will deliver a pre-scripted phrase. If I do not get that call and that phrase in five minutes, Hardy is dead. Go.

Rowlfski and Gonzola pushed Lita to the door and left the room. Kermit pulled up a chair
facing Hardy, and sat down.

Kermit - Now we wait kiddo. Let's see if your girlie is smart or if she really loves you.

Hardy - You're doing all this because of a match?

Kermit - Not really. You see, over the past few weeks I have been able to do a lot of thinking. And I came to a conclusion. You don't respect me.

Hardy laughed.

Hardy - Respect? Fucking respect? I haven't done much of anything to you Kermit. If you wanted me to pay more attention to you, you just had to ask.

Kermit - Nothing to do with that. How about you listen and learn something junior. You wouldn't let JE have the belt he rightfully won. You didn't show at our match for reasons you say have to do with JE. You attacked JE how many times?

Hardy - So why do you care? He's your opponent and it's well known you don't get along.

Kermit - Man this kid's dense.

Dr. Teeth and Animal laughed at Kermit's joke.

Kermit - You have to understand something David. You mocked JE. You attacked him, you insulted him, and you taunted him. Everything you did, you also did to me by proxy. JE is my partner and a small member of my business. He is family in our eyes. And family watches out for family. With your actions against him, you were also attacking me. You were saying that you do not consider me a threat, and therefore, you do not respect me.
Hardy - You have a twisted sense of things buddy. But you are right about one thing. I don't respect you. You are beneath me, and beneath Infinity.

Kermit smiled again.

Kermit - Hence why I am here now. You will learn to respect what I am capable of and what I can do.

The phone in the room rang.

Kermit - Well, let's see if she was a good girl?

Kermit picked up the receiver. He was silent as noise came for the other end. After a few seconds, he nodded.

Kermit - Good, you know where to go. When you get there, tell Janice to set up.

He hung up the phone.

Kermit - Good news David. Not only is Lita smart, but she does love you. Figured you would like to know.

Hardy - Now what happens.

Kermit - Well that depends on you David. She will be safe, and unharmed as long as you follow my rules.

Hardy - Let me guess, you want me to throw the match.

Kermit laughed

Kermit - O heavens no. That would just be unfair. I just have some requests. Number one, no Infinity involvement in our match, during or after. Number two, you and your Infinity co-horts will make no move against me or any in my crew before or during our match. Three, you will all leave JE's girl Jess alone. Violate any of these rules, and you will not like what happens to Lita. Got it?

Hardy - Why only JE's girl? Why not protect your "partner" too with this hostage?

Kermit - JE can take care of himself. But I don't want you to try to play copy cat here. Besides, I like the chick. She has potential that I don't want to see you ruin. So, so we have an agreement?

Hardy was silent.

Kermit - Well it doesn't matter if you agree or not. It doesn't change the situation. You will get your darling Lita back after the match. And if you played nice to my rules, she will be in the same state she left in. Break any rules, well, let's just make sure you follow the rules. Just as your life was in her hands a few moments ago, now hers in in yours.

Hardy - I am going to kill you in that ring.

Kermit - Good, you're fired up and focused. Keep that energy David. I want you to give it your all in that ring.

Kermit got up and walked to the door.

Kermit - O, and one more thing. Have a pleasant night.

A heavy blow hit Hardy on the back of the head, and he faded into darkness.

Kermit and his men left the room. Kermit pulled out his cell phone and called Gonzola.

Kermit - Decoy cars gone too?

Yes boss. We are off.

Kermit - Good. Have you used Honeydew's device?

Sure did. She's clean.

Kermit - Excellent. I will see you at the drop off.

Kermit closed his cell phone.

Kermit - I'm telling you boys, I have never felt more alive.

David Hardy let out a sigh and stared up at the ceiling in the same spot that he had been staring at for an hour now. He slowly slid his hands behind his head and glances quickly at the alarm clock beside his bed. It was shortly after 3 AM. He had been knocked out for several hours thanks to Kermit and his men. They came in without an invite, held him at gunpoint, and then took his girl. Hardy guessed that they expected him to give them pursuit, but he was not interested. He simply lay there, contemplating the events of the evening. He wasn't going to act. In fact he was not going to do anything to Kermit at all.

He knew something that Kermit didn't.

Hardy rolled onto his side and stared toward the window. He couldn't shake this ugly feeling eating him inside. A dark feeling hollowing him out and making him feel like an empty shell of a man. Even with Infinity having his back, he still felt it. He was lonely.

Not long ago, he lost someone that had become the most important thing in his life. Something more important than fans, more important than gold, more important than glory. And he lost her because of his own actions. It's like he was gradually descending into madness for many reasons, though largely because of his desire for her. They were never even a couple, but nobody could deny the spark between them. And now he was without her. Though as much as Kermit may think, he was not the reason she and Hardy were apart. It wasn't long before the flashback hit...


<A HREF="http://www.twistedexperience.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=4877">November 22, 2006</A>


Lita and David shared the same expression; one of bewilderment. The formerly blonde-wigged Leela turned to David, her now-firey red hair tossing in the wind. Hardy couldn't help but flash back to the hotel room so many years ago when she had attempted to "blow" it for the RoXoRz' tag-team aspirations. Highone was his best friend, but lately the two hadn't been seeing eye-to-eye on much, and the TC title-holder had admittedly spoken with Pryce. Then again, so had David, but Hardy wasn't in the business of looking internally for things to blame. Confusion quickly turned to rage. The car accident, the sneak attacks, the betrayal....David had reached his limit.

Hardy: PUT HER DOWN!!!

Highone: Su-...sure David...no problem...calm down...I don't know what you're thinking, but it's probably the wrong thing...

Hardy: DON'T YOU TELL ME WHAT IS RIGHT AND WRONG! JUST PUT HER DOWN!!!

Drakus: Oooh...this should be good...

Strikmore: You'd be better off worrying about me!

The TCW Transcontinental Champion allowed Lita to put her feet on the ground and let go of her. He would not give away his belt as easily. The WWE starlet started to walk back towards David who didn't seem to be much more relieved now that she'd been released. His gaze was still fixated on the space in front of him as he started to walk in Highone and Lita's direction.

Highone: There you go....see? No harm done...

Hardy: How could you?!?

Highone: What are you talking about? You have Drakus to thanks for this mess...

David continued his stroll towards the eye of the hurricane. With his intended actions, he would be lucky to not get lost in the storm. Feigning compassion, Drakus stepped in front of Hardy. The young Canadian did not look pleased at his actions.

Drakus: No..David...don't? He's your friend?

Hardy: This isn't any of your business you son of a bitch! Now step out of my way before I Step-Toe Hold you the way out of it!

Drakus: I tried?

The large man with a love for violence stepped to the side and let Hardy pass. His satisfaction was short-lived though, as as fed-up Strikmore flew into the picture and landed a hard knee to Drakus' stomach. The two TCW superstars rolled around on the ground, exchanging punches and kicks. On most days, David and Highone would have jumped onto the pile and proceeded to help Strikmore lay the smackdown to Drakus. But this wasn't most days. The whole trip to Athens had seemingly been filled with rare days, as strange as that sounds.

Hardy: ALL THIS TIME, I THOUGHT I COULD TRUST YOU!!!

Highone: David...seriously...calm down...let's talk this out...

The former, and possibly soon-to-be, Transcontinental Champion stopped when he got to Lita. He cocked his head sideways and slowly turned to her. The look on his face changed from one of anger to one of sadness. She let out a deep breath. Her relief was evident, although she was still concerned about her long-time friend.

Lita: It's going to be allright David...nobody has to get hurt...let's all help Matt out right now and take care of this other mess later...

Hardy: Not later....NOW!!!

With that, David Hardy looked Lita over. A wave of rage hit him. Her red hair seemed to reflect in his eyes. Hardy grabbed a handful of the famous mane and gently pulled her head backwards.

Hardy: So you tried to do it again, did you? Double-cross me?

Lita: Da-...David...I don't know what you-...you're.....you're talking about...

Hardy: Riiiiight...I should have seen it coming...you, always trying to keep me and Highone apart...trying to break up the RoXoRz...to break up Infinity....

Lita: I thought you wanted to go do those things with me.

Hardy: I'm a twenty-something male...you think I want to see the Louvre? You think I want to go to antique shops and check out local wares? I wanted to be with you...not do those things with you...but all along, you were scheming, weren't you?

Amy's eyes started to well with tears. She wasn't sure where this attack was coming from. Her hair hurt and she was scared. Not afraid of any violence, but terrified of the repercussions this might have on her relationship with someone she considered a best friend.

Lita: Never! David....look at me...I would NEVER do that to you again!

Hardy: WHO WAS IT?!? WHO HIRED YOU?

Lita: DAVID!?!?!?!?!

Hardy: Enough talk from me...time for action...YOU need to be the one talking...

David grabbed her tattooed arm and started pulling her towards the roadway. It was not a major thoroughfare, but traffic was steady and moving at quite a pace. She didn't try to pull away, too encompassed with shock to struggle.

Highone: David Q. Hardzarelli!!!

Hardy stopped in his tracks and turned back to his tag-team partner and stablemate. A nearby woman screamed in Greek for police.

Highone: You don't have to do this Hardz. Think about it...

Hardy didn't have a chance to do anything, as he was suddenly tackled by festival security who formed a mass of bodies on top of him while freeing Lita in the process. Highone was face-down on the ground in cuffs in seconds and the fight between Drakus and Strikmore was broken up. All parties involved had elite legal representation and wouldn't even end up spending the night in jail, but each would eventually have a sentence to pay physically or emotionally.



And he had not seen her since. Three months had past and not a day had past where she wasn't in his mind. In fact it was like he had developed some kind of obsession with her. He always kept her picture in his wallet. Her number was at the top of his speed dial, though he never dared to call it. Her myspace page had been favorited by him and checked almost daily. Same with her horrible punk band The Luchagors. They were horrendous, but Hardy was a supporter. Anything that would connect him with her somehow.

It had even gotten to the point where he was getting look-alikes to "escort" him on his travels. None of them could duplicate the real thing, but with the amazing advances in surgery, costumes and makeup, it wouldn't be too hard to copy someone's external. It was a costly price, but Hardy was willing to pay anything to try and recreate his past days with her. A time where he was actually happy.

That's what Kermit didn't know. Kermit didn't know that Lita was nearly four thousand miles away in Atlanta, Georgia. Who he had kidnapped was really one of Hardy's look-alikes. One he had paid a lot of money to agreed to undergo huge amounts of surgery to reconstruct her face to look like Lita's. It was like he was some crazy guy from a Bond movie, but it filled a void. Hardy had no idea how long Kermit would fall for it, but it was not something Hardy was going to worry about.

Right on cue a sudden clap of thunder struck and it was followed by a heavy downpour. In the matter of hours, his mood had turn from upbeat and confident about the upcoming match, to somber and depressed. Now she was the only thing on his find. He needed her and it killed him that there was nothing he could do about it. He just stared blankly, unblinking out the window into the rainy sky.

He had enough with this. All he could hope was that his plan would work to tear Kermit and JE further apart. He was going to distance himself from both of them for the rest of the stay in Ireland. Hopefully JE would believe the letter he was going to receive the next day. Then he could truly claim the championship gold. Maybe being a champion again could convince Lita to come back to him. Stealing the Aftershock title from JE was never about singling out the champion. It was about making himself look good in gold to hopefully impress Lita. Nothing else mattered. Hardy finally closed his eyes as a tear slowly ran down his cheek...

**************

The next morning there was a knocking at the hotel room door. A pair of eyes opened and JE slowly sat up. Rubbing his head, he looked around him to see a large empty platter and bottle of some sort of expensive booze on a trolley next to the bed. Laying next to him, fast asleep was Jess. It slowly came to him, the memories of last night. The two of them had received a huge feast, compliments of Kermit. At first neither of them were too sure if they could trust it, so JE had an employee try it. After everything seemed fine, they had a celebration. It was just days before JE would finally get his hands on his deserved Aftershock title. Perhaps this gesture by Kermit was a sign of solidarity. For now, things seemed to be good.

There was a knocking at the door again. JE quickly got to his feet and searched for some clothes until he realized that he was still fully clothed. So was Jess for that matter. They must have had so much fun that they fell asleep before they knew it. JE smiled at the adorable imagine of his girl curled up, fast asleep on top of the covers. He shook his head and walked towards the door, finally opening it up. He recognized the man standing there as a road agent for TCW. The agent was standing before him holding a letter.

"Can I help you?" JE asked.

"Yeah," the agent said, "I'm Paul, and I work backstage for TCW."

"I know who you are," replied JE.

"Right," said Paul, "anyway, they've kind got me in the doghouse and doing the inter-company mail..."

"And what am I supposed to do about that?" JE asked.

"Well actually, I have this letter for Kermit, see," said Paul, "and none of us can apparently find him anywhere. I figured that seeing as you're his tag team partner and all that you could pass it along to him."

JE looked down at the envelope addressed to Kermit. His eyes narrowed as he noticed David Hardy's trademark extravagant signature on it. Without hesitation he grabbed it and looked back at Paul.

"Consider it done," JE said quickly.

Before Paul could say anything, JE closed the door in his face. JE quickly took the envelope into the bathroom and flicked on the bright ceiling light. He held the envelope up to the light and tried to see through the envelope. His curiosity was running rampant. Why would Hardy be writing Kermit a letter? Especially after what Kermit had in store for Hardy before JE accidentally screwed things up.

"What the hell are you up to, Hardy?" JE muttered to himself.

After not being able to see anything, JE muttered and threw the envelope on the counter. He paced back and forth across the room, staring at the envelope. After several minutes, JE stopped and just stared at it.

"Fuck it..." JE said.

With those words, he picked the envelope up and tore it opened. He wasted no time in pulling out the letter inside and reading it carefully. His eyes slowly started to narrow and an angered expression came over his face as he read what the letter said.


Kermit. Great idea about setting up the whole limo ‘kidnapping' shenanigans. Just as you thought, JE stuck his big nose into your business. I think you're completely right in your expressing JE's usefulness coming to an end. I imagine JE felt pretty worried about screwing your plans up, which is right where we want him. Now all we need to do is soften him up for the kill at the show. What we need to do is keep acting like we're against each other and he'll fall right for it. I suggest doing something nice for him, it'll probably confuse him though instill that bit of trust between you two. That will make him completely vulnerable and an easy target. We'll continue this trend until the show, where he'll be easy to take out. Then the title will be yours, just like we agreed when we made our deal. Until then, I'll keep up the charade of hating both of you. Talk to you real soon.

D. Hardy


JE started to seethe as he crumpled the paper up in his hand. With a growl he threw the clump of paper at the wall and bolted out of the room. He quickly put his shoes on and bursted out of the room like a bull charging at a red cape. Whether he ran into Hardy or Kermit first, he was going to get some answers...

JE quickly made his way downstairs, through the front lobby and to the parking lot to his rental car, which was in better condition than the last one. He opened the door, put the key in the ignition and sped of to the only place he could think that either that Kermit or David Hardy would be, the Odyssey Arena in Belfast, the setting for the triple threat match for the upcoming match that involved himself, the man who held his Aftershock championship, David Hardy, and the man that JE thought was his partner, Kermit. The events that had transpired the last few days made the entire situation between JE and Kermit unbearable, and the letter that JE had received a few moments ago didn't make anything easier. Before JE could get out of the parking lot and on to the road, he got a call on cell phone, it was Jess.

"Yes?" said JE as he answered the phone.

"Where the hell are you going? You just stormed out of here without saying a word."

"It's nothing. I've got to talk to Kermit."

"Kermit? What about? Is this about that letter you got?"

"Kinda. Listen, don't worry ok. I'm just going to go the arena and try to find Kermit to see what's going on. Don't leave the room until I get back."

"Oh, I'll get bored." Said Jess in a playful voice.

"I'm serious. Don't leave the room. Ok?"

"Ok. Don't be long."

"I wont. I'll see ya soon."

JE hung up the phone and made his way to the arena. Along the road, he kept on trying to get his head around this situation. First, there was Hardy who had stolen JE's first single's title straight after he won it. One way or another, JE was going to make sure that Hardy would pay for what he's made JE g through the last few days. Then, there was Kermit. The man who JE thought was his partner and friend was acting strange and uncharacteristic to begin with, but after what Rowlfski tolled him at the crash site and the letter he received, it seemed that Kermit was working with Hardy to win the Aftershock title for himself. JE wanted answers and he was gonna get it from at least one of those two.

**********************************************************************

JE arrived at the arena about 15 minutes after leaving his hotel. There were some road crew guys sitting outside of the arena, sipping coffee next to some equipment. JE walked up to them and asked if they knew where Kermit or Hardy where:

"Hey guys, have you seen David Hardy or Kermit around here today?" asked JE.

"Nope, sorry mate." Said one of the guys on the end.

JE gritted his teeth and headed inside the arena to hope for some better luck. He made his way to the arena floor where there more road crew guys setting up the titan tron and a couple of roadies messing around in the ring. He walked up to the ring to ask the guys:

"Hey guys, have any one of you seen either David Hardy or Kermit around."

"I've seen Kermit." Said one of guys.

"Where?"

"Not to long ago, I think he may be at the cafeteria, he had these three guys with him suits."

"Thanks." With the information he just got, JE headed to the cafeteria to find his so-called partner.

It took him awhile, but JE finally found the cafeteria, and as he hoped there sat Kermit with two men who not so long ago pointed guns at JE, Rowlfski and Animal, and Floyd, as the roadie tolled him, all four men were wearing black suits. When JE walked in, they were sitting around a table drinking some coffee, and seemingly enjoying them selves as Kermit was smiling when JE saw him. That smile quickly faded when JE approached the table.

"Hello, partner." Said JE from one end of the table.

As the words came from JE's mouth, Rowlf, Animal and Floyd all stood up and reached for their gun holders under their jackets, only to be stopped by their boss.

"Stop. Don't make a scene, where not alone here." Said Kermit, pointing out to his associates that they where in a cafeteria whit people watching. With the words of advice coming from their boss, the men slowly sat down on their seats. "What do you want?"

"I want some answers. First: what are you doing here?"

"You know me, getting a feel for the place."

"There's the thing, I don't know you. That leads me to my other question. I got a letter from TCW directed to you. They couldn't find you so they gave it to me."

"You're a messenger boy now?"

"Cute. No, I read you're note, It was from Hardy."

"You read my mail?"

"Yeah. Good read actually, he said that the whole limo capturing thing was a set up and that you and him are working together so you get my title."

"Is that so?"

"Yeah. I wanna know why?"

"Why should I answer to you?"

"Because I'm you're partner."

"See there's the thing. I thought my guys here tolled you that our working relationship is over."

"Why are working with Hardy? You the second you win that belt he gonna take it away from you just like he did to me."

"I don't have to tell you a damn thing."

"Hardy is just some little coward who has to rely on Infinity and steal other people's titles to make him look like a big man. I thought you were better than that."

Kermit stood up and got straight into JE's face.

"I tolled you, I don't have to tell you anything, so I suggest that you make you're way out of here before things get ugly."

JE looked at Kermit's eyes and saw a look that he had rarely seen on Kermit's face, a look of contempt and anger towards JE. JE turned his eyes for a second to see that Rowlf had his hand holding the gun under his jacket, ready to take it out just in case.

"You won't shoot me." Said JE towards Kermit. "Too many people. I know how you like to do things, in dark where nobody can see you. Don't worry, I'm going. But let me tell you something, if I find out that you are working with Hardy to take my title, I'm going straight after you, and that's a promise."

With that said, JE left the cafeteria and headed out of the arena. Still uneasy of the whole situation, he at least made sure that Kermit new his intentions if he and Hardy screwed him over at the PPV. Although he probably knew that the LBA was officially over, he was making sure that no one was going to screw around him anymore.

**********************************************************************

Back at the hotel room, Jess was getting bored from just waiting around and flicking the television and waiting for her man. Suddenly a knock came at the door.

"Hello, room service." Said the voice outside the door.

"I didn't order anything." Said Jess.

"It was ordered by mister JE before he left the hotel."

Without a second thought, Jess lifted herself out of the bed and opened the door. When she did, she got a surprise. It was Hardy with a smirk on his face and the Aftershock title over his shoulder.

"What do you want?" said Jess, taking a couple of steps back, after the surprise that she got.

"I saw JE leaving and I thought we could talk."

"Please, just go away."

"Don't worry, I'm not going to hurt you or anything." Said Hardy as he made his way inside the room. "I'm just here to tell you that, you're boyfriend and his little gangster buddy have really put me through a lot the last couple of days, and that one way or another, I'm going to make them pay, either in the match or after the match, and my advice to you is, get ready for the unexpected. To tell you the truth, I shouldn't even be here, Kermit and his goons tolled me that. But, I thought that being the good guy that I am, I should warn you of what's in store for those two."

"Get out before I call the police." Said Jess who had made her way to the telephone next to the bed.

"Fine, I'll go. But, let's just keep this conversation to ourselves ok? Don't want any early mishaps before the fun starts."

"Get out!" Jess screamed, as Hardy made his way out of the room laughing, leaving Jess sobbing on the bed, at the thought of what could happen to Kermit and more importantly JE at the hands of that mad man.

Earlier that day

Kermit strode into the warehouse with a spring in his step. A good old fashion kidnapping, he hadn't pulled one of those off in far too long. And this was a beautiful job. The whole crew was in and out in about 15min. The girl followed direction, and Hardy now knew how far Kermit could go. That kid wouldn't dare try anything against him now, even after he returned his girlie. Kermit began to wonder why we had never tried this before. With all the bullshit he has gone thru in the fed, and little snatch and grab could have taken care of most of it. Making his way to the back office, Kermit began to whistle a happy tune. Hardy would have woken up by now and was probably frantic. Calling all his Infinity buddies, crying about how Kermit, the man Hardy didn't seem to consider a threat, had come in and took his precious Lita. The thoughts of Hardy mentally broken, warmed Kermit's heart. Who knows? The poor bastard might even throw the match just to get her back sooner. While it wasn't what Kermit wanted, he would take it none the less.


Janice sat on a table in the back office. Legs crossed Indian Style; she sat staring at the captive. She was tied to a chair, hands and feet bound, mouth gagged, eyes covered, ears plugged. Complete sensory deprivation. Lita was asleep, most likely worn out from the events of the evening. Ever since she arrived, Janice watched her. First it was curiosity. Who was this woman considered by many to be one of the best female wrestlers ever? What made her so special? Since she arrived, this tough woman had been crying. This strong woman had the look of total fear in her eyes. This confused Janice. Eventually Lita gave up struggling, and gave into exhaustion. But that didn't stop Janice from staring. Something else was there, something she couldn't quite understand.


Kermit entered the room with a smile still on his face.


Kermit - Ah! There you are my little hostage! How are you this morning?


No response came.


Kermit - The silent type I see.


Janice - She's asleep.


Kermit - Well, it was an exciting night to be sure. She probably tuckered herself out with tears for David and the pure mental stress. Speaking of tired, this coffee fresh?


Janice nodded. Kermit pull out a Styrofoam cup and poured himself some. He took out another cup and offered it to Janice, who ignored him.


Kermit - Pssst, Jan. Coffee?


She shoke her head and went back to her gaze. Kermit shrugged and finished stirring the sugar and creamer into his joe. When the drink was to his liking, he walked over to the desk, and sat down next to Janice, who was still keeping her gaze on the woman. Kermit glanced at Janice's eyes, then over to Lita, then back to Janice.


Kermit - If you wanna pair of tits like hers I know a doc who owes me.


Janice turned and slugged Kermit in the shoulder.


Kermit - Ow! Or maybe not. Jeez, you didn't have to hit me.


He rubbed his shoulder. While he would like to think it was for show, Janice can actually hit hard.


Janice - Why do you assume that I am staring at her chest?


Kermit - Because it's there?


Another hit to his arm told him to probably change the subject.


Kermit - Okay okay, I get it. Damn you're in a mood this morning.


Janice - I have been here, like, all night with her. Not something I would consider enjoyable.


Kermit - She do anything?


Janice - No. She just like, cried a lot.


A grin broke on Kermit's face.


Kermit - Great! I can only hope Hardy's going thru the same thing.


Janice - I still don't like this.


Kermit - Says the girl who's burned down how many buildings? How many people have you killed again?


Janice fixed a hard glare on Kermit.


Janice - That's like, different and you know it. All of them did something directly to you.........or to me. Either way they deserved it. This woman hasn't done anything to you Kermit.


Kermit - She's with Hardy. That's good enough for me.


Janice - But it's not us. You always, like, said focus on the person that you have issue with, and nobody else. You have never allowed this before.


Kermit - Time's have changed. Everyone here is either too stupid or too arrogant to show me the proper respect I deserve. So if I have to crack a few skulls, snatch a few dames, or even give a guy a dirt nap to get the respect I deserve, then so be it.


Kermit got up and threw his empty cup in the trash.


Kermit - Zoot and Floyd will be here in about half an hour to take over.


Janice - We still need to talk Kermit, I got a funny feeling.


Kermit was already leaving the office


Kermit - Later babe, I gotta run.


Janice sighed inwardly. Nothing short of hog ting Kermit would get him to listen to her. He was always so pre-occupied with his own schemes and plans, that he never took notice of her unless she fit in somehow. She stood up and stretched her tired body. Sitting all damn night wasn't good for her. She slowly walked around the room, letting the blood flow back into her veins. After a couple of laps she looked back at Lita, still tied up in the chair. And there it was again, that feeling, that itch that had to be scratched. Stupid was very wrong about this. Janice knelt down before the sleeping woman and fixed her gaze upon her.


There it is!


Janice removed the ear covering.


Janice: Hey!


She slapped Lita's face.


Janice: Like, wake up princess!


The woman woke up with a start, and began to struggle until she realized where she was. Same place she was last night. Janice moved in close to the woman's ear and whispered.


Janice: You're not really her are you?


The woman shook her head.


Not good. Kermit is not going to like this.


Janice put the ear coverings back on and began pacing around the room. She knew this would send Kermit into a rage. His plan foiled by a look alike. Janice sat down in a corner and buried her head in her arms.


Not good at all.




Later that day.


Kermit and his goons left the arena, all of them a bit on edge. Hardy would now want Kermit's blood, and now JE was raving like a lunatic. Kermit remained silent since the confrontation with JE. Floyd got into the driver's seat of the limo, while Kermit, Animal and Rowlf got into the back.


Kermit - Drive.


The limo started up and left the arena parking lot.


Kermit - Hardy is playing JE against me.


Rowlf - The kid has no brain.


Kermit - No, JE's a pretty smart cookie. But given everything that has happened over the past few days, I don't blame him for being paranoid. Either way, the kid's done.


Animal - Animal beat JE?


Kermit - No. I have plans for him.


Rowlf - What are we to do?

Kermit - Nothing. I will handle this myself. And when I am done, JE and Hardy will understand exactly what I am capable of.


Rowlf - You already got Hardy's girl, why not take JE's too?


Kermit leaned back in his seat.


Kermit - Why pull the same stunt again? Besides, JE's most likely already heading to their room, so he can coddle her and hold her tight before the match. You saw him, he's out of his mind.


Animal - Animal......beat.....JE?


Kermit - I said no!


Animal's face twisted into one similar to a wounded puppy. Kermit paid him no mind.


Kermit - Hardy is the real concern. Come Hell or high water, I do not want him walking out of that arena after the show. If I don't finish him off, you know what to do.


Rowlf nodded.


Kermit - Good.


He pressed the intercom button.


Kermit - To the hotel. I need to rest up.


Zoot - Right away Boss.


Kermit closed his eyes as they drove towards the Culloden Estate. In his head, he was going over the match, and grimaced. Everyone was going to feel pain in this one.


Every single one of them.