Title: The Dare
Rated: R
Notes: This fic assumes there was no Tara as anything other than a friend. Oz and Wills broke up at Graduation time in my 'verse. Takes place sometime during Season 4 (first year of college). I stopped watching WWE around the time the roster split went into effect so I don't know what's currently going on. So - to that end I'm just going to make my own current timeline - Hmmm… Jazz is the current women's champ, RVD is hardcore champ, Jericho is still Undisputed Champ, the Hardyz are current tag champs. I'll set the alliances and rivalries as I go. *grin*
Notes2: Would "con-chair-to" be the correct spelling of that move Edge and Christian did with the chairs once upon a time ago?
Summary: Xander dares Willow to do something totally out of the ordinary for her - and she accepts.

~*~Part One~*~

Willow watched the action on the television, rolling her eyes at the insane stunts being pulled. It was hard to watch, even with her own conviction that it was all completely fake. The men looked like they were beating the hell out of each other, even to the point where some of them were bleeding. She rolled her eyes at the amount of blood trickling down one of their faces, the cut it was pouring from being somewhere near his right eye. She bet he had *somehow* managed to get cut right along the hairline of his eyebrow, a good spot if one wanted the drama of a lot of blood. Which he did, apparently.

Goddess she hated pro-wrestling.

"Xan, do we *have* to watch this? I'm sure we can find something much more entertaining on another channel. Or," She continued, oblivious to the look her friend was giving her. "We could call Buffy and get some patrolling done. Make a little violence of our own. The *real* kind. It'll be fun."

"Real? This is real." Xander gestured to the television as another of the wrestlers went through a table. "See. That *really* was a table - and now it's broken in half with his body."

The red head groaned in annoyance, leaning forward and putting her head in her hands. "Oh please. That's one of those flimsy little tables we always broke at my family picnics when we were kids. Remember? Can't even stand on them without them falling to pieces?"

The young man just shrugged. "Its entertainment, Wills. Besides, this is a pay-per-view. Those only happen once a month and I've been looking forward to this one." He turned his attention back to the television as the next set of wrestlers began to make their way to the ring. It appeared to be a bout for the women's championship. Jazz was already in the ring and, as music blared through the auditorium, Trish Stratus began to make her way down the ramp. It was an unfair match, as far as Xander was concerned. He had seen matches with Jazz before and she was just brutal to her opponents. The lovely Trish didn't stand a chance, in his eyes.

"Oh - as if things weren't bad enough, now we're watching bimbos in tight clothing cat fight?" Willow snorted, flopping back into the couch and crossing her arms. What had possessed her to come over and spend time with Xander in the first place? Oh yeah - she was lonely and so was he. 'Next time I'll just rent a movie and stay home alone.' Her eyes were unwittingly drawn to the action on the television as the woman began to circle each other, their eyes shooting daggers at one another. "Let me guess - next they rip each other's clothes off so all the world can see their assets?"

Oblivious to her sarcasm, Xander answered her quite seriously. "No, Wills. That's a bra and panties match - this one," he gestured at the screen. "This is just a normal title match."

"Smartass." Willow muttered. On screen she watched as Trish went flying into the ropes, bouncing off and heading back towards Jazz - who was waiting with a knee to the stomach. The petite blonde went down, gasping for air. "That's so fake. I bet the other chick barely touched her."

One. Two. Three. It was over, Jazz holding her hands in the air, retaining her title. She kicked one last time at Trish, still lying on the mat, before leaving the ring. Only then did Xander turn to Wills. "It's not all fake, Wills. It's a lot harder than it looks. I'm sure it's nothing *you* could do."

"Hey!" Willow exclaimed, outrage showing on her face. "What's that supposed to mean? You don't think I have what it takes to act like a bimbo and get in glorified cat fights? Ok - the whole bimbo thing I probably couldn't carry off. But the fighting? I'm not the same girl you stole a Barbie from, Xander. I've been working out and stuff. I think I could hold my own."

"Really?" Xander smirked. "Sure, Wills. Sure."

"You don't believe me?"

He knew he'd gone too far then, her eyes were wide with surprise, chin trembling just slightly, as though she would begin to cry at any moment. He sighed. "It's not that, Wills. I just don't think you would be able to do it all - play up to the crowd, fight, etc. *That's* what's hard. You? You're Willow. Quiet, unassuming - sometimes even a little timid."

"So you don't believe in me?"

"Fine!" Xander groaned after a few seconds of silence, completely frustrated with her. "Do it then! I dare you. Try outs are happening this week, even. Go - do it. Last six months in the WWE and then come back and tell me it was 'fake' and 'easy'." He held her gaze with his own, his eyes challenging. "I. Dare. You."

Those words echoed through her mind in a way she was sure would haunt her. 'I. Dare. You.' After just shooting off her mouth, how could she honestly back down? Despite everything they had been through since their sophomore year, he still thought of her as nothing more than 'little old Willow' the 'computer nerd' and 'hacker'. Despite the fact that she had helped to save the world on numerous occasions, he still thought she wasn't tough enough to put on a good show. "Fine, Xan. But when I come back a winner I will expect your undying loyalty for the rest of my life."

The dark-haired young man watched his friend get up, storming out of the house and slamming the door behind her. He cringed, hoping his parents were too drunk to wake up and yell at him for the noise. He thought of following her for a moment then shook off the idea. She would get over what he had said by tomorrow and they could make up. There was no way she would be jumping on a plane and heading to Connecticut for tryouts, this was just her way of playing mental games with him. Tomorrow he would apologize to her, make her feel better for the stupid things he had said. He turned his attention back to the action on the television, cheering inwardly as his favorite tag team began to make their way to the ring.

~*~Part Two~*~

Jeff Hardy watched the girl next to him start on her fifth beer, shaking his head slightly. He had tried to keep up with her just for kicks, though he doubted seriously that she had even noticed that, but five beers in one night? At this rate he wasn't going to be able to walk back to his hotel room, much less be able to perform tomorrow night. He turned, eyes scanning the room as unobtrusively as possible, before finally looking full-out at the woman he had been sitting next to for the better part of an hour. She was pretty, beautiful even, though in a way that was so much more subtle than any of the girls he was used to dealing with on a regular basis. He couldn't see a hint of makeup on her pale skin and there wasn't a doubt in his mind that she would be downright stunning with the proper colors applied. The lighting of the bar wasn't so dim that he couldn't see the color of her eyes - green like emeralds and just as sparkly, though that could have been due to the alcohol, he knew. Beautiful.

"Ok. I give up." He said finally, watching as she ordered her sixth drink.

"Excuse me?" Willow said, turning glassy eyes to the man next to her. She looked around, wondering if perhaps there was someone else the man was speaking to. When she found no one else even remotely near to them, she turned back to him, her forehead wrinkling in confusion. He was staring straight at her, a small smile on his lips. "You give up?"

Jeff nodded, gesturing to the new drink in front of her. "I give up - you win. I can't out drink you."

Willow laughed outright, confusion fading to amusement. "Sorry. Didn't realize we were having a contest or else I would have taken it easy on you." She turned on the bar stool so that she could get a better look of the person she was speaking to - and was pleasantly surprised. He was handsome. Long hair, though from what she could see he had dyed it in various colors that could only have come from packets of kool-aid. His eyes were penetrating, the type of eyes Oz had had, the kind that made you want to talk to him until the early morning hours. She doubted, though, that many women were up with him 'talking' until early morning. Not with a face like that and a body that, as far as she could tell, was formed perfectly.

"Ah. My apologies, then." He grinned; quite aware of her once-over of him and hoping she had found him as pleasing as he had found her. "I thought you must surely have been having a contest with someone to be chugging those back like you were."

The red head found herself laughing for the second time that evening. She took a moment to take a mental tally of the number of beers she had drank, surprised to find that the number was now at six. "Ya know." She said slowly, pushing the drink away from her. "Maybe I've had enough." She shook her head. "Didn't realize I had drank so many." Only now that he had mentioned it did she begin to feel the full effects of the alcohol she had been imbibing.

Jeff nodded. He watched as she looked around the room, looking as though she had suddenly woken up from a daze and didn't know how she got there in the first place. Something had to have gone wrong in her day for her to look so - out of it. "So," He grinned. "I know why I'm here all alone - my brother ditched me to go on a date. What about you?"

Willow shrugged. "Had a job interview today. Felt like I needed a drink afterwards." She looked at the empty bottles in front of her. Five beers. She knew what Buffy would say - the blonde would no doubt tell her that's he had gone overboard. Which would, in fact, be a fair assessment of things, the red head reasoned. "Guess I needed more than just 'a' drink."

"Didn't get the job?"

"No." She laughed bitterly. "I *did* get the job - that's the problem." The confusion on his face was priceless and her bitter laugh changed to one of amusement, her body shaking with the motion. She nearly fell off the bar stool in the process. A steady hand on her arm kept her from toppling to the floor and she gave Jeff a smile. "Thanks. Sheesh. Look at me. Too drunk to even sit properly. I'll be hung over for my first day on the job tomorrow. This is a first for me."

The rainbow-haired Hardy boy grinned, shaking his head partly in confusion, partly in amusement. "I don't doubt that for a second, -" He paused, trying to recall whether or not the two of them had even introduced themselves. 'Guess not.' He stuck out his hand, giving her a smile. "Huh. All this talk and I don't even know your name. I'm Jeff."

"Willow." She smiled, sticking out her hand to shake his. His touch was warm, gentle, and gave her a better glimpse of his arm. Goddess he had some nice muscles! She didn't doubt for a second that he could have broken every bone in her body if he had wanted to, yet his touch was as gentle as a mother's to a child.

"So why was getting the job enough to make you drown your sorrows in a place like this?" He asked, releasing her hand. He watched her carefully for a moment, making sure that she wasn't going to fall off the stool and couldn't imagine how she was ever going to make it home in one piece.

"Because." Willow said slowly. "I only applied for the job as part of a dare in the first place. I didn't *want* it. Was hoping that I wouldn't get it and then I could just call Xander up and tell him that I had tried and been turned away. I would have lost the dare but still retained my pride, you know? Just by trying." She didn't mention what the job was - didn't see the point in ruining whatever positive impression he had of her by letting him in on the fact that she had been dared into joining the WWE. She was going to be a wrestler. Little Willow Rosenberg was going to get into fights for a living. 'Or - at least for the next six months.' She told herself firmly. 'Just long enough to win the dare and prove to Xander that I'm not the same little girl he knew back in grade school.' She had been shocked at the amount of money she would be making during her initial contract period. Though not an extravagant amount, it would be more than enough to pay for the rest of her schooling.

"Xander? He's the one that dared you?" Jeff asked. Someone had apparently put some money in the bar's dingy old jukebox, loud music swelling through the bar, and he scooted his stool closer to Willow so as to hear her better. This did, of course, put him close enough to casually brush against her, something he was not too terribly unpleased with.

She nodded. "Childhood friend and all that. He still thinks of me as a little girl. I took the dare just to prove to him that I'm not. But now…" She frowned. "Now, I'm not so sure." With a shake of her head she pushed the thoughts away. It was too late to turn back now. Contracts had been signed, legally binding things which would make her get in the ring whether she liked it or not. And, speaking of that, she had to be up early for her first training session. She wouldn't be getting in the ring right away - at least that's what Linda had told her. They had hired her on the spot simply because of her looks and charisma. The actual wrestling part would come later. "And, with that, I'm afraid I must be going. Have to be at 'work' early tomorrow." She rolled her eyes, grinning as Jeff laughed.

"Did you drive here?" He asked, hoping the answer was no. There was no way she was in shape to drive herself back to wherever she was staying.

"Nope. Walked. Hotel is up the street." She gestured towards the door with a wave of her hand, sliding off of the bar stool. It took a moment for her legs to solidify into something remotely resembling normal and she held on to the side of the bar for balance. This was not good. She should never have come here and drank so much. Buffy would, without a doubt, kill her if she ever found out about this night. 'If she doesn't kill me for taking Xan up on this stupid dare to begin with.'

"What a coincidence." Jeff grinned, jumping off of his own stool. "So is mine. Care for some company on the walk back?" It was more than just wanting to see her back safely to the hotel - he didn't want his time with her to end, though he was distinctly aware that there was no possible way for it to continue. After the show tomorrow night he'd be on a plane for some other city, far away from here and her.

"Sure." Willow shrugged. In truth, she was happy to have him walk with her. At least then, if she fell down, he'd be there to catch her. 'In those yummy arms.' Maybe it was worth falling just to have him catch her? She debated the idea for no more than a moment before discarding it. Jeff had drank just about as much as she had - probably wasn't a good idea to trust her fate to his hands. Not when she was bound to be getting her body bruised up the next day anyway - she didn't want to start out in less than perfect condition.

The walk back to the hotel was filled with a continuation of the conversation they had been having in the bar. She told him a little of her life back in Sunnydale, leaving out the parts that would have sent him running in the opposite direction of her. Unfortunately, by the time she had ended her brief life-synopsis, they were at the door of her hotel. She frowned, wishing that she could spend more time with Jeff, but knowing that she needed to get some rest for the morning. 'No point, anyway,' She thought sadly. 'After tomorrow night I'll be moving on with the rest of the wrestlers - learning on the road, according to Linda.'

"Well - it was nice to meet you Jeff." She smiled, reaching out and squeezing his hand. She was surprised when he held on, pulling her towards him for the briefest of kisses. She blinked, a slow smile creeping across her face as he stepped backwards, in the direction of his own hotel.

"The pleasure was all mine."

And then he was walking away from her, his slow southern drawl echoing in her mind until she felt herself tingle all over. How very un-Willow like she had become. Trying out for the WWE, drinking herself near-silly, and then letting some strange guy kiss her goodnight. She smirked, watching until the last of his rainbow colored hair disappeared from her view. It hadn't been a bad night at all.

Maybe being un-Willowy was a good thing, after all.

~*~Part Three~*~

Matt hardy looked up at the sound of a key in the lock of the hotel room door, smirking when he saw the person who was entering. "Well, baby brother, was about to send out a search party for you. Do you know what time it is?" He gestured towards the clock. Yeah, it was only a little after one in the morning, still early by their normal night-out standards, but they had a match the following night - and practice in the afternoon. Not to mention the fact that he could tell from here that Jeff was drunk. Just perfect. They'd get a lot done the next day. Yeah right.

"Well, gee mom," Jeff sighed, sarcasm overflowing. "If I had known you were worried, I would have called." He rolled his eyes, sitting on the edge of one of the queen-sized beds in the room and tugging off his shoes. He looked around, debating whether or not a shower would be a good idea in his present state or if sleep was a better thing. In the end he decided it would probably be a better thing not to risk falling down in the shower. Matt was pissed at him - and would be even more so if he hurt himself before their match tomorrow. "I thought you and Lita would still be out, anyway. Didn't really expect me to sit here waiting for you to come back, did you?"

Matt shrugged. "Lita has to be up early in the morning for some training at the gym with a new hire."

"A new hire?" The rainbow haired brother groaned, flopping back onto the bed and shutting his eyes. He pulled himself up to the pillows, settling his head within their softness. "Oh, please, anything but a new hire. Rookies are all elbows and knees. I ended up with a black eye last time, remember?"

"It's a girl…"

Jeff cracked open an eye at the tone of his brother's voice, like he was feeding him some tasty bit of information that was supposed to make things seem so much better than they really were. How was Matt to know that, at least tonight, no girl would even come close to his memory of the lovely Willow, standing in front of her hotel, fingers to her lips, the most deliciously surprised look on her face. He smiled as the scene played out in his head. Slowly, though, reality intruded, and he became aware that his brother was still staring at him, waiting for a response. "Sorry - you were saying something about a girl?"

Matt shook his head, smirking. Either his brother was far more wasted than he had first assumed, or he was tired. 'Or,' He thought, noting the look on Jeff's face. 'He has something on his mind.' "What's got you so distracted, Jeff?"

The younger of the men snickered. "Just a girl I met tonight. Pretty little thing. She was the sweetest…" He stopped, realizing he was giving his brother way too much ammunition to tease him with. Before the dark haired man could say anything regarding what he had just let slip, Jeff stumbled on, changing the subject back to the new girl. "So - the new girl… tell me about her?"

"Linda liked her. A lot. She didn't even have to do a physical tryout - just an interview. Some of the guys said she's a looker, though. Cute little number with red hair and green eyes. Linda hired her right on the spot because of her charisma, told Lita that the girl will be a real crowd pleaser once they get her up to par on the whole wrestling thing." He laughed. "So Linda assigned Lita to be her own personal trainer type person. You can imagine how thrilled she was. Her own rookie to mold and shape how she wants."

"Great…Lita Junior…" Not that he didn't like his brother's girlfriend - Lita was like a sister to him and he'd hurt anyone who even said a cross word about her. But letting her have her way with a new hire? Linda was loosing her mind for sure. He was too tired to even think twice about his brother's description of the new girl or else red hair and green eyes would certainly have sparked more memories of Willow. As it was, the information barely registered in some back corner of his mind before getting filed away.

Matt snorted, flipping off the television and crawling into the empty bed. He stretched out, his muscles tightening and then relaxing with the effort. It was late, and he had to be up just as early as Lita did so that he could drive her over to the gym. "Yeah - Lita Junior, right." He chuckled, the laugh turning into a yawn. Across the room the younger Hardy brother was pulling his bed's covers around him.

"What's her name?" He asked finally. There was a good chance, if Lita was training this girl, that she would end up walking out with them. Where else would a protégé of the red haired diva find a home? She wouldn't find a warm welcome with most of the other wrestlers if she managed to make a friend of Lita while she learned from her.

It was late, and Matt was tired, and despite how hard he tried, he came up with a blank at his brother's sleepily asked question. "I don't remember. Was something pretty and unique."

'Oh well.' Jeff thought, sleep beginning to overtake his thoughts. He'd find out soon enough what the girl's name was. Not that it mattered. He couldn't imagine finding her interesting. Not after Willow - the one that he had let get away. He didn't believe in love at first sight - but this was something close to it. Definitely lust at first sight. And there had been no mistaking the connection he felt to her. It was immaterial, though. She would start her new job tomorrow, the one she seemed to be dreading so much, and he would be on a plane to another city, somewhere in Texas he thought, after the show tomorrow night. He would, in all honesty, probably never see her again despite the attraction they had shared and the connection he had probably only imagined.

Unless fate had some odd twist up her sleeve.

~*~Part Four~*~

Willow shut off the company car Linda had been nice enough to supply to her for her remaining time in Connecticut, staring at the building across the parking lot. Her head was pounding, stomach was in knots, and she was exhausted. Exactly the way she wanted to start a new job, especially one where she was sure to get her ass kicked all day long. But had that occurred to her last night when she was throwing back beers like they were water? Nope. Not one bit. She hadn't even realized she had drank so much until that cute guy had pointed it out to her. She closed her eyes, smiling as an image of Jeff came to the fore. How wonderful it had been to meet him, talk to him - get kissed by him.

That had been the only good thing about the night. The five beers certainly hadn't been a plus; especially faced with the mega hangover she currently had. How in the hell was she supposed to go in there and begin her training. Hopefully this Lita person would take it easy on her on her first day. Hey - if she was lucky maybe she could just coast through the next six months, never quite making it out of training. Was that possible? To be a six month trainee in the WWE? It was definitely a thought, but one that she didn't think would pan out. First of all - she was bound to have to get in the ring eventually, ready or not. Secondly it just wasn't fair to win the dare by not even participating. What would that prove that Xander didn't already know. He would just think she was more of a wimp than before.

And she definitely didn't want that.

The red head opened the door of the car, grabbing her gym bag from the passenger's side seat. The clothes she was wearing were the ones she wanted to train in, but there was another set of heavier clothes in the bag just in case the gym was cold. Also she had a towel, a bottle of water, and some aspirin for her headache, though so far the little white pills hadn't helped a single bit. The trek across the parking lot seemed to go by in slow motion, her nerves ganging up on her to stomp a hole in the bottom of her stomach. This would have been bad enough without the hangover - why'd she have to go and make it a thousand times worse?

'Too late now, Rosenberg.' She told herself, taking a deep breath before opening the gym door. She stepped into the room, blinking to adjust to the change in light. The building was far from dim, but not quite as bright as the sun outside. The first thing she noticed was how quiet the enclosure was. At this time of the morning, barely a little after seven, she hadn't really expected to see that many people working out. But this was a welcome relief. There were only, maybe, a half dozen people walking around, working out, or jogging on the indoor track. The ring in the center of the room was obviously meant to be the focal point of all activity. She swallowed hard, knowing that she would have to get in one of those soon enough and perform in front of thousands of people live, millions in the television audience.

"Can I help you?"

The quietly helpful voice a little to her side almost caused the red head to drop her bag in surprise. She turned, giving the dark haired man standing there a smile. "I was looking for Lita?"

He nodded, a look of understanding coming into his eyes. "You must be the new girl. I'm Matt."

"Willow." She smiled. His voice was amazing, the same light southern accent that she had found so nice about Jeff the night before. Of course, it made her long to see the rainbow haired man again, but there was no chance of that. "Do you know where I can find Lita?"

Matt smothered a grin, realizing for the first time that this little thing in front of him didn't have the slightest clue who he was, or who Lita was. That could only mean one thing - she knew nothing about wrestling. This was going to be fun. Lita would have to start from square one with her. He doubted she knew even the most basic of wrestling moves. "Come on, I'll take you to her."

Willow followed behind the dark haired man, wondering who he was. Wrestler, personal trainer, or just another employee of the WWE here to use the facilities? She was betting wrestler just from his looks. Toned muscles, large build - just the type of thing she had seen on television that night at Xander's house. She frowned. Maybe she should make a call to Sunnydale and let everyone know where she was and that she was okay. She had left without really telling anyone much other than that she was 'going away for a while' - and that she had left in a note. She hadn't spoken to anyone from Sunnydale in almost three days. They were bound to be worried by now. 'I'll call Xander when I get home tonight - and Buffy, too - if I'm still up to it, that is."

Her head screamed in agony as a loud crash came from the ring. She looked towards it, noticing that that was the direction they were headed in anyway, and saw an athletic-looking red haired woman bouncing back and forth off the ropes, another smaller blonde haired woman in the ring with her. Willow watched in awe as the red head made her way to the top rope, standing there as though it was nothing. Before the young witch could even take a breath the red haired woman had leapt from the top rope, twisting in mid air so that her legs wrapped around the blonde's neck. The two of them toppled to the ground, the red head standing and grinning.

"Nice one, Lita." Matt called out, stepping up to the side of the ring and smirking as his girlfriend helped Trish to her feet. He turned back to Willow. "You can put your bag under here for right now." He kicked at the underside of the ring, lifting the apron with his foot.

Willow nodded, still in dazed amazement over what she had just seen. That was Lita? That was the woman she was supposed to be training with? She seemed out of her mind. Did she have any clue how close her own head came to hitting the mat when she did that? What if she miscalculated? Wouldn't that be a bad thing? She knelt down, unzipping her bag and taking out the bottle of aspirin. She shook two of the pills into her hand, knowing she would need them to survive the morning. A quick swallow from her water bottle and the pills were gone. She stowed the water bottle away, pushing her bag under the ring and sighing.

"Headache?" Matt asked in concern. He hadn't missed the wince she had made each time Trish or Lita had hit the mat hard, the sound filling the gym. It wouldn't do the new girl any good to push herself too far if she wasn't feeling well.

"Yeah." She sighed, giving him a small smile. In no way was she about to admit that she was hungover. That wouldn't go over well with anyone, including herself. She was Willow Rosenberg, damnit, and Willow Rosenberg didn't show up for her first day of work hungover - even if the job was with the WWE. "Nerves I guess… I've never done anything like this."

He nodded, seeing that Lita and Trish were still sparring out of the corner of his eye. He liked this girl already. It was horribly obvious that she was in pain yet she didn't seem like she wanted to ask for sympathy from anyone. "Come sit down a little, then. Those two will be at it for a while." He gestured to a group of chairs set up near ringside. "Never done anything like this before?" He shook his head, chuckling softly. "I sorta figured that part out already."

"How so?" Willow asked, genuinely confused. Her attention was half-divided between the man sitting next to her and the women in the ring. Though it was apparent they were friends and trying not to hurt each other too badly, it was still very much evident that the moves they were using could and would do damage in a real match.

"Well…for starters…" He drawled, slouching back into the chair and stretching his legs out in front of him. "I bet you've never watched a wrestling match in your entire life."

She grinned. "Wrong." At his incredulous look her grin got wider. "I saw my very first wrestling match the other night. I think my friend called in a Pay-Per-View?"

Matt laughed outright, drawing a confused glance from Lita who had apparently gotten Trish into a headlock. "I stand corrected. How is it that you watched that match and don't know who Lita is? Or who I am? We were both headliners that night."

"Probably because my friend pissed me off and I left his house before it was over."

"So one night of watching us on TV made you want to do this for a living? Amazing."

She shook her head, feeling like he was someone she could be honest with. Linda knew, of course, that she had been dared to do this job. She had said that undertaking this kind of position just to prove oneself was something worth taking note of. It wouldn't hurt to tell Matt about the dare. He didn't seem like he would hurt her. And he wasn't on the list of people Linda had given her to 'watch out for' - as in, people who could and would hurt her given half a chance. "No. It's much more amazing than that." She dropped her voice, leaning in and giving him a conspiratorial wink. "I was dared."

"Dared?" He couldn't help it, he knew he sounded shocked and bewildered. That was just the effect she was having on him at that moment.

"Yup. My best friend told me I wouldn't last six whole months in this business. I told him I could. He didn't believe me and then dared me to do it." She shrugged, her eyes losing their sparkle at the unhappy memory. "I've spent most of my life trying to be the best at everything I've ever done. It hurt to have him say he didn't believe in me, you know? So I'm going to do it. I'm going to make it through the next six months and, hopefully, prove myself to him once and for all."

It was hard not to feel sorry for the petite woman sitting next to him, her eyes so full of sadness, her voice so full of conviction. He understood what she was saying. Who hadn't been dared to do something at one time or another that would cause them to loose face if they declined? Her situation was just a little more dramatic than most people's. But he understood entirely where she was coming from. "Don't worry. I think you'll do fine. Lita's a great wrestler - one of the best female wrestlers I've ever seen. Hell," He laughed. "She's even better than some of the men I know."

Willow nodded, watching as the red head in the ring gave the blonde with her a little wave and then ducked under the ropes, jumping down and walking towards them.

"Hey baby." Matt smiled, standing up and giving Lita a small peck on the cheek. "This is Willow, the new girl." He turned, hand on Lita's shoulder, and whispered in a voice that Willow wouldn't be able to hear. "Take it easy on her today, Li, she's not feeling well despite what she says and she's only watched one wrestling episode in her entire life." He turned his head slightly. "Was nice meeting you, Red. See ya later." It was time to go get Jeff out of bed. He would leave Willow in Lita's capable hands. She'd do fine. Just fine.

~*~Part Five~*~

"Ok…so just try to land as flat on your back as possible." Lita instructed. This was more difficult that she had imagined, teaching someone to do something you already knew by heart. When it got down to the level of instinct it was so much more difficult to verbalize how and why you did things. Sort of like riding a bike. You could say pump the pedals and steer, but it was more than that. Things you had to learn simply by doing the actual action. Wrestling was a lot like that. Most of what Willow needed to learn she'd have to learn in an actual match - not here in the safety of the gym.

Willow nodded, taking a deep breath. She back up a set, setting herself against the ropes, and then ran forward, her chest colliding with Lita's arm just as it was supposed to. She fell backwards, concentrating on what she had just been told in that split second before her body hit the unmovable surface of the mat. She felt the breath blow out of her and winced, her head throbbing in pain. More aspirin would definitely be needed before this day was over.

But, other than the loss of breath and the headache, the fall hadn't hurt that much. "Ok…that's not that bad. I guess." She smiled up at the red head standing over her, trying to hide the pain she was feeling. A spike of pain shot through her brain and it was all she could do not to openly wince. She knew her smile faltered and only hoped Lita wouldn't notice.

But Lita wasn't fooled. "Ok. I know you're not feeling too hot and, well, there are other things I can show you today other than those that involve getting thrown around the ring. Linda said I could have you start walking out to the ring with me and the guys whenever you're ready - so I can wait until tomorrow to start with the physical stuff, k?"

"Thank you…" Willow whispered, leaning her head back to the mat and shutting her eyes.

"No prob." The red haired wrestler grinned, offering her hand to the other woman. "If you feel up to it later, we'll start on this again. But for now - videos."

"Videos?" Willow's eyes were slitted with confusion. She grabbed hold of Lita's hand, slowly getting to her feet. Thank goodness there wasn't really anyone else around to see her like this. She was utterly pathetic - not a good way to start out in this business. Thank the goddess that Lita was sympathetic.

"Yup. I've got a few of the pay-per-views on tape back at my hotel - some memorable matches, so to speak. It will help you learn what this," She gestured around her, especially the ring. "Is all about. Get your bag and meet me outside."

Willow nodded, sliding out of the ring. Her goddess certainly was looking down on her today to have given her this much of break. She pulled her bag out from under the ring and took a drink of her water while Lita called someone on her cell phone. She could hear the red head say something about going back to the hotel and then the conversation was over.

"You drove here, right? Otherwise we have to wait for Matt to get back - he's my ride."

"No, no. I drove. Linda let me use a car until we leave tonight."

Lita nodded. That sounded like something the kindly WWE owner would do. "Good. Let's go relax and watch some matches. We'll order some junk food and try to get you feeling good enough to come watch us all live tonight."

Willow nodded, following the wrestler out into the bright mid-morning sunshine. Things were definitely looking up for her.

~*~*~

"So…ouch!"

Lita arched an eyebrow, snickering at the look of shock on the face of the woman next to her. Not that what she had just seen didn't elicit an ouch - or two. Edge and Christian had just taken steel chairs to the head of Chris Jericho. That was a move she had never been on the receiving end of and hoped to *never* be on the receiving end of. "Yeah - those two like chairs a little too much… Just wait until you see Bubba Ray and D'Von with the tables… Oh! I know *just* the match to show you." She scooted to the edge of the bed, rummaging through the suitcase on the floor. She flipped through the tapes, reading the labels quickly, until she came to the one she wanted. "TLC."

"TLC?" Willow grinned. "Somehow I'm doubting you mean 'Tender Loving Care'."

"Correct." The wrestler grinned evilly. "Tables, Ladders, and Chairs."

"Oh my…" Willow drawled, laughing. She watched with interest as the video began. First came Edge and Christian, she could already recognize them by their entrance music. They certainly seemed to like playing to the crowd. Then came two men in camouflage. She looked at Lita for an 'introduction'.

"Bubba Ray and D'Von Dudley." She grinned. "They're the 'tables' part of a TLC match. Edge and Christian are the 'chairs'. And, my favorite - here come the 'ladder' men. Matt and Jeff."

Willow turned, her eyes widening with shock as she saw the two men making their way down the ramp. "Jeff…?" She whispered. Her eyes were glued on the rainbow haired man of the night before, her heart speeding up until she thought it was going to burst from her chest. It couldn't be. There was no way… How? Her mind refused to wrap itself around the idea that the man she had met last night and the man she saw enter the ring were the same person. But there was no mistaking that face, that hair.

Lita turned to look at the other red head, her forehead creased in confusion. "Yeah - Jeff. Matt's brother…. And why do I get the feeling it's more than just seeing his handsome face that's making you look like that? You look like *you* just got hit with a chair."

"I…" Willow shut her mouth with a snap. She tore her gaze away from the television, where the match was already beginning, and tried to focus on Lita. It was apparent right away that the other red head wasn't going to take some little answer from her. She had the feeling that the wrestler could probably be just as brutal with her questioning as Buffy could be at times. "Last night. Met him in a bar."

"And…?" Lita prompted. There was more to this story than what the other girl was letting on, she was sure of it.

"And…we talked…he walked me back to my hotel. Kissage then goodbye. I never thought I'd see him again. I didn't know who he was…" The memory of the goodnight kiss brought a smile to her face.

Lita giggled. She couldn't help it. The younger girl was so shocked, so dazed. It was apparent that whatever the effect Jeff Hardy had had on her - it had been a good one. 'Wonder if Matt knew about this… Nah.' She answered her own question almost immediately, conscious of the fact that the other woman had turned her attention back to the television. 'If Matt had known he would have told me. Which means Jeff has no idea that Willow is in the WWE. Which means…'

She grinned, a plot already forming in the back of her mind. The younger Hardy brother wasn't the type to just run around kissing women he had just met which meant that he had obviously seen something special in Willow. A something special that he, too, thought he'd never see again. She wasn't about to play matchmaker to the two of them, not when they already seemed to have hit it off so wonderfully. No - she just wanted to set things up so that she could see Jeff unbalanced; shocked.

And what better time would there be than tonight? If she could just manage to convince Willow that she *wanted* to walk out with them and then keep her hidden from sight until it was time to go down the ramp… BAM! Jeff wouldn't know what hit him. She hoped the camera crew got it all on tape so she'd have it to watch over and over again. Once they got out to the ring she could make sure Willow stayed out of harm's way. But first things first. "Feeling any better?"

"Except for the fact that I feel like I just got kicked in the stomach?" Willow asked, grinning ruefully. "Yeah - much better." She shook her head. "I never thought I'd see him again. Oh - what if he doesn't want to see *me* again? I mean - we had both been drinking…what if -"

"Stop that." Lita smirked. "I can tell already you're one of those people that second guesses everything. Just stop it now. Take what he did for what it was - a kiss. He doesn't just do that for no good reason. *AND*," She hurried on before the newest wrestler could interrupt her. "He doesn't loose his good sense when he's been drinking. In fact - he usually has more of it then."

Willow stared down at her hands, digesting what Lita had said. If what the other woman said was true, Jeff had kissed her out of definite interest. Maybe he *would* want to see her again. And they'd be on the road together. If there was sparkage they'd have time to explore it. "Does he know about me?"

"Not as far as I know. Not unless Matt says something to let him know… that's who he left to pick up earlier." Lita leaned closer, getting a wicked gleam in her eyes. "Want to surprise him? It'll be fun. Promise. He's cute when he's shocked to hell."

"He's cute without being 'shocked to hell'." Willow murmured, then blushed realizing what she had just said. "Umm…can't believe I said that."

"Nothing wrong with admitting what you feel." Lita admonished her. "I haven't known you that long but I can tell you've spent a good part of your life holding back what you feel. Stop. This business is all about feeling strongly. It's about emotions and releasing them." She stopped, giving the girl a sly wink. "Now…do you want to help me give Mr. Hardy the shock of his life?"

'What harm can it do?' Willow thought, warming up to the idea. It was a rare thing in her life to be able to be the one to be surprising, shocking. "What do you have in mind?"

~*~Part Six~*~

Things were going perfectly as far as Lita was concerned. Matt and Jeff had only come by the locker room once, and that had been while Willow was in the restroom. Jeff, from what she could tell, didn't have the slightest clue what was going to happen to him in only a few minutes. And she had someone back home taping the show for her just so she could be sure to get his reaction on tape if the camera guys shot it. She looked out of the corner of her eye at Willow, noting that the newest red haired diva was checking herself in the mirror one last time. "You look fine, Red."

Willow smiled at the nickname she had already acquired, tearing her eyes away from the mirror. The baggy pants weren't what she normally would have chosen for herself, they hung very low on her hips, dipping low enough to give peeks of her underwear if she moved too much. The jean material was soft, though, and comfortable, even though the wide legs practically swallowed up her small frame. The hunter green half-shirt she was wearing was adorable, though, again, not something she would normally wear. She literally looked like a miniature version of Lita, she realized.

Which, after meeting some of the other women and seeing what they wore to the ring, wasn't really that bad. At least these clothes covered most of her body. And they were comfortable. That was more than she could say of what Trish had been wearing. That woman's clothing left very little to the imagination.

"Really?" She asked finally. "You sure?"

"Yeah. I'm positive." Lita smirked, shaking her head in amusement. Thankfully they were the only ones in the women's locker room at the moment. It gave the younger woman a chance to clamp down on her nerves, which Lita could see were running rampant. "Just remember. The audience is your friend. I don't expect you to go out there and play it up to them tonight. This is just to get your feet wet…"

"And to shock Jeff?" Willow grinned, her eyes sparkling with amusement. The butterflies in her stomach must have worn themselves out earlier that night because they were giving her a moment of reprieve. Between the excitement of seeing Jeff again and the anxiety she felt about walking out to the ring she didn't know how she was going to manage to survive the night.

"But of course." Lita grinned wickedly. She stood up, giving herself one last once over in the mirror. The small television in the room showed the current match wrapping up, Jazz's hands being raised in victory over Trish. What a shame - it would have been nice to see that rough bitch get taken down a notch. Oh well. Some other time. But, since that match was over that meant it was time for Jeff and Matt's match. "Are you ready? Remember what I told you - stay near me. Linda will kill me if I get you hurt tonight just because I wanted to pull something over on Jeff."

Willow nodded, swallowing hard. She closed her eyes, took a deep breath, and prayed to her Goddess for strength. She had to seem fine when she walked out there. She didn't want Jeff to see her as a nervous wreck. But, most important of all, Xander would be at home watching. She had called and left him a message while he was still at work, letting him know that he *had* to watch tonight's showing. Of course - she hadn't told him why. It was fun to surprise him, too, after all. She would go out there tonight and begin her six month effort to prove to him that she wasn't some little girl anymore.

"Ok. Let's do this."

~*~

Matt looked at the television screen, watching as the match currently going on down at the ring played itself out. He frowned as Trish took a particularly nasty hit from Jazz, her body slamming down to the mat. The blonde stumbled to her feet, landing a kick to Jazz's midsection. Despite his ardent hopes to see Jazz loose the title, he knew Trish wasn't going to be able to do it. Not tonight anyway. She was already winded, gasping in pain. This wouldn't last too much longer.

"Is it time yet?"

The dark haired Hardy boy looked up as his younger brother entered the dressing room, bottle of water in hand. "Not too much longer…This match is almost over and then there's Jericho's promo…and then us…"

Jeff nodded, settling into the only remaining chair in the room. His head was still pounding from the hangover he had woken up with - something no amount of Tylenol had been able to cure for him. It wouldn't be the first time he had worked with pain, though, and definitely not the last. At least Matt was too wrapped up in his own thoughts to notice that he wasn't at 100%. Good. He really wasn't in the mood for a lecture. All day his mind had raced with ways to try and find the woman he had met the night before. 'Willow.' He reminded himself, suppressing a smile at the thought lest Matt notice and question him on it. He was definitely not in the mood for friendly big-brother type interrogation. Not with their match happening in less than ten minutes. "Lita come by yet?"

Matt shrugged. "She's in the women's locker room with the new girl. They're going to meet us at the ramp when its time. Something about the new girl is nervous and they're trying to calm her down."

"Ah…the new girl…" Jeff nodded. He was vaguely aware that Matt had said the girl would be walking out with them tonight, though his older brother hadn't said much else. "So - what's she like?"

"Shy. Nice. Small. Stunningly beautiful - the usual things we see in the women around here." He kept his tone neutral, his face passive. Lita had called him on his cell phone while she had still been at the hotel with Willow, letting him in on everything she knew about his brother and Willow - and the plan she had cooked up with the other woman for that night. Normally Matt would have been totally against the idea, what with it being right before a match and all, but not tonight. Tonight's match would be easy and it wasn't even for the titles. All they had to do was keep Jeff and Willow from running into each other before it was time to go out to the ring.

Let Jeff be surprised - he deserved it.

"Sounds great. Can't wait to meet her." He sighed, genuinely not caring whether or not he met her. The only person he really wanted to see at that moment was Willow. He planned on going to the hotel he had dropped her off at the night before right after his match and hanging around to see if he could find her. It was a long shot at this point, but it was all he had. On the television the bell sounded, Jazz being announced the winner as Trish pulled herself painfully to her feet. He winced, knowing the little blonde haired diva must be in a lot of pain. "Time to play." He grinned, pulling Matt to his feet.

As they were walking through the halls Matt found himself wondering just how shocked his brother was going to look when he noticed that one of the women walking out with them that night was the girl he had fallen so hard for the night before. Did his little brother really think he hadn't noticed the little dreamy looks he'd gotten on his face all day long? Not hardly. He had only held his peace for today, though, long enough to let Lita's plan come to fruition. After tonight all bets were off and he fully planned on teasing the hell out of his sibling.

"Where's the new girl at?" Jeff asked, seeing Lita alone behind the curtain. On the monitor overhead he could see Jericho's promo coming to a close. They had less than a minute until it was time for them to walk out.

"Oh!" Lita said, her surprise totally feigned. "Didn't even notice she wasn't behind me. Sorry guys." She shrugged apologetically. "You two get ready. We'll be right behind you, promise." She took off at a run, down a small side hall that, if Jeff had been paying attention, he would have noticed that it didn't even lead to the locker rooms or the restrooms. It was merely a hall that was good, in times like this, to stash someone during an overly complicated plot to surprise a rainbow haired wrestler. "Come on!" She hissed at Willow, holding out her hand. By her mental calculating they had about fifteen seconds until the Hardyz music started. Another five seconds or so after that they'd need to be right behind the boys as they walked out and down the ramp.

Willow took a deep breath, grabbing hold of the other red head's hand and giving her a nervous smile. The butterflies which had formerly been leaving her alone had returned with a vengeance, fluttering through her stomach in a frenzy so rapid she felt like she might just scream. They raced through the halls, getting to the ramp entrance just as Jeff and Matt stepped out.

And then they were out there.

It was hard not to stop breathing as cameras flashed all around her, the music loud and blaring. She could see Jeff only a few feet in front of her and for one second time seemed to slow to a stop. He and his brother played up to the crowd, making them cheer. And then she heard the words that were going to set the night spinning.

"Making their way to the ring, accompanied by Lita and Willow… the WWE tag team champions - Matt and Jeff…."

Whatever else was said was lost to Willow because it was at that point that Jeff turned around.

~*~Part Seven~*~

Jeff felt like he had been put through a table.

And he hadn't even made it to the ring yet.

His eyes were wide and, despite the fact that he knew he was on national television and making a fool of himself, he felt his mouth drop open. Standing behind him, dressed like she was Lita's protégé, was the girl from the night before. Willow was the new girl? This was the job she had been dared into? Suddenly her drinking spree of the night before made just a little more sense. Time seemed to freeze as he stood there, looking at her as she just stared back at him, a small smile on her lips. She looked even more amazing tonight, fully sober and alert, than she had at the previous night. He took a step towards her, saw her head shake ever so slightly as she lifted her chin in the direction of the ring.

Oh yeah.

He had a match.

Duh.

"Come on, little brother." Matt smirked, grabbing Jeff's arm and hauling him forcibly down the ramp. The crowd was obviously confused by what had happened, their cheering mixed with a murmur of 'huh' and 'what?'. But that didn't stop the electric feeling in the air, the buzz of excitement. Jeff was stumbling over his own feet, trying to turn and look behind him at the red head following them. If anything else in the world existed he doubted his brother was aware of it at that time. Hopefully he'd be able to pull his head out of the clouds in time for their match with Christian and Edge.

"This is too much…" Lita murmured to Willow, the girls watching as the men slid into the ring. Jeff snapped out of once he set foot on the mat, loosing his daze just enough to run from corner to corner, getting the crowd going again. She wouldn't know until she got back to the hotel whether or not the camera guys had gotten a shot of that first startled look on his face. She hoped so. Never before in the entire time she had known Jeff had she ever seen him that surprised.

Willow tried to concentrate on the two men in the ring and not to the sound of hundreds, no - thousands, of people around her. She could hear the ones in the front rows asking who she was and why had Jeff Hardy seemed so shocked to see her? She didn't blame them one bit. It was probably very much like reading a book only to discover a huge chapter is missing. You have to make up the details and wait to see if they pan out in the end.

"The announcers are probably going nuts." Lita chuckled, coming to stand next to Willow at the Hardyz corner. "King is probably making up some wild tale about how you and Jeff are previous lovers. He'll have the whole thing plotted out for us before the match even starts."

The nervous red head had to laugh at that. She could just imagine the torrid stories people who be making up about her and Jeff. The look he had given her had sent shivers through her body at the time and she only hoped they'd have some time together to talk soon. It was bad what they had done. Shocking him in front of all of these people - and on television too!

But it had definitely been funny.

As another set of music began, this time for Edge and Christian, Willow turned her thoughts to Xander, wondering if he had gotten her message.

~*~*~

"Why are we watching this again?" Buffy asked. She closed her eyes, leaning her head back into Xander's couch. "Wouldn't it be much more fun to go to the Bronze? We can even take Anya with us."

Xander frowned at Buffy. "Willow left me a message specifically telling me to watch tonight. So I'm going to watch. You can go to the Bronze if you want." He didn't tell Buffy what he was really thinking. That there had to be a reason Willow wanted him to watch tonight. He hadn't seen his best friend in three days. There was no way she had run off and joined the WWE. Maybe she was in the audience and was hoping he'd see her? Still. Willow alone in Connecticut was enough to make him anxious. Who would look out for her? Protect her?

"Fine. Fine. Fine." Buffy grumbled, grabbing a handful of popcorn from the bowl sitting next to her on the couch. She popped a few of the fluffy kernels into her mouth, the corner of her lips twitching up in a smile. A bare-chested wrestler - had they said his name was Jerry Ko? Jericho? - was giving an interview. She licked her lips at the sight of his ample muscles, glistening with oil under the camera lights. And then he was gone. "No. No. Put the nice man back."

Xander looked over at the Slayer, smirking. "Thought you didn't like wrestling, Buff."

"I don't." She deadpanned. "I just like the men. Muscles nice."

The young man laughed, hearing the Hardyz music start. He gave her a grin. "Here come two more men, Buff. You just watch and drool, k?"

"What the…. Xander! Look!"

Xander turned, the urgency in her voice spurring him to move faster than was advisable. The bowl of popcorn went tumbling to the floor but neither of them noticed or cared. "Wills…" He whispered, his mouth dropping open. She had done it.

She had really done it.

~*~*~

"COME ON MATT!!!!" Lita screamed, slapping her hands on the edge of the ring. The crowd picked up the beat quick enough, clapping their hands in a crescendo of sound and excitement, spurring the downed wrestler in the room to move.

And move he did, scrambling at the last moment to tag his brother into the ring. He ducked under the ropes, standing on the outside of the ring, gasping for breath. Edge had, in the meantime, tagged in Christian. He watched with interest as his brother easily avoided a clothesline as he bounced off the ropes. Was it just his imagination or was Jeff doing everything 'bigger' than usual? Certainly that body slam was a little more over the top than normal. The dark haired wrestler heard a cheer from down on the floor and glanced down at Willow.

Ah. There was the reason for his brother's exceptional athletics tonight. He was trying to impress Willow. Not that he had to do very much. The red head seemed to be enraptured by his every move, even if it was just running from one corner to the other.

"WATCH OUT!"

Matt looked up at Willow's startled cry, seeing Edge entering the ring with not one, but two, steel chairs. Great. Con-chair-to anyone? Not tonight. He took a breath, ignoring the pain in his ribs, and ducked into the ring. His hands wrapped around the chair in Edge's hands just as the man reached back to slam it down on his brother's head. He yanked on it hard, tearing it away from the tall blond and then giving him what he had been about to give Jeff.

A headache.

Edge toppled to the mat, out for the count.

Except Edge wasn't the legal man and neither was Matt. The dark haired Hardy turned in time to see his brother get Christian into a corner, the Canadian wrestler dazed and confused. More so than normal, even. He caught his brother's eye, nodding. Jeff dropped to his knees a split second before Matt began to run, leaping off his brother's back to deliver a devastating clothesline to Christian and complete their move, Poetry in Motion, perfectly. He knew what was coming next. Jeff had to impress Willow, didn't he?

With Christian laid out and Edge still taking a nap, Jeff climbed to the top rope, saluting the crowd. Camera flashes went off everywhere.

~*~*~

Willow held her breath as the man at the center of her thoughts climbed to the top rope. She smiled as he played up to the crowd, very much a pleaser, and then….

Then….

'Oh goddess!'

There was no words to describe it. He was flying through the air, twisting his body in time to avoid hitting his head on the mat, and landing on Christian. The blond wrestler moaned in pain as the referee moved in to count - One, Two, Three.

"Swanton." Lita grinned.

"He's crazy." Willow whispered, a smile larger than any she had shown so far that night coming to her face.

"Yup. We all are."

For the first time since their scene on the ramp Willow found herself looking into Jeff Hardy's eyes as he moved back to their side of the ring. He winked at her, grabbing her hand and pulling her up the ramp towards the back. She was dimly aware that Matt and Lita were behind them. She had to admit at that moment that she didn't mind 'crazy' one bit.

All she had to do was get used to the madness.

~*~Part Eight~*~

Willow was amazed at the patience being shown by the rainbow haired wrestler that currently had a firm, but gentle, grip on her hand. She smiled, allowing him to lead her up the ramp, away from the audience, and into the back halls. She had done it. Shy little Willow Rosenberg had gone out in front of thousands of people and she hadn't made a fool of herself or died of embarrassment. She had stood there, in front of a live television audience and heard her name be called out for all to know and, one day, recognize. It had felt *good*. Not only that, but she had knocked the socks off of a very handsome man in the process! This had to be a red-letter day. Throwing a grin over her shoulder, Willow found it returned by both Matt and Lita as Jeff Hardy continued to drag her through the backstage area of the arena. They finally came to a stop outside of a door and he opened it, pulling her inside.

"You two - stay out there. Or go somewhere else. I don't care." Jeff threw over his shoulder to Matt and Lita, shutting the door behind him.

The two wrestlers stared at the door for a moment before bursting out with laughter.

"That was wonderful." Matt snickered, wrapping his arm around Lita's waist. He didn't mind for one moment that his younger brother had just kicked him out of their dressing room. From the look on his sibling's face, Willow and Jeff needed some time to talk.

"Uh huh. Wonder if the camera men got it on tape," Lita smirked, grabbing onto his hand and leading him further into the halls, searching for anyone who had been backstage at the time they walked out. "Let's go find someone who was watching it and ask."

~*~

Willow watched, amused, as Jeff Hardy paced back and forth in front of her. The corner of her mouth lifted up in a grin. It was more than apparent that she had thrown him for a loop. "Mad at us?" She asked finally, forcing her smile to more of an appropriate level, something neutral. From the side he looked like he was unhappy about something - which she could only assume meant that their little stunt hadn't gone so well.

Jeff stopped, turning to stare at her, his expression blank. He wasn't mad at her, how was it that she could think that? "No. Just shocked. Never really thought I was going to get to see you again and then, there you are, walking out to the ring right along with me."

"Was it really that bad of a surprise?" She asked quietly, her face falling. Lita must have been wrong. Jeff certainly wasn't happy to see her. He seemed upset, even. This had been a bad idea. 'Oh well. At least he didn't make a fool of me on national television by yelling or anything. He even played along.' She sighed, her eyes falling to the floor. So much for her hopes of kindling something with him. When he didn't answer her question she stood, eyes still downcast. "Look, Jeff, I'm sorry. When I found out today that the man I had met in the bar last night was someone I was going to be working with - it made me happy. I assumed you might feel the same way." She blinked back the tears that were threatening to form in her eyes. "I'll be going now."

She pushed past him, grabbing blindly for the door handle and twisting it open, fleeing out into the hallways. She didn't know where to go, but she needed to get away from there - away from the embarrassment she had just caused herself. She turned, hoping against hope that she was heading in at least the right general direction for the dressing room she had shared with Lita earlier that evening. It seemed like so long ago that she had been bouncing around backstage, nervous beyond belief, waiting for the chance to surprise someone she had thought would be at least a little happy to see her.

Man had she been wrong.

She was knocked out of her thoughts at about the same time as she was knocked to the ground as she rounded a corner, still searching in vague hope for the dressing room. "I am *so* sorry." She muttered, looking up into the face of the person she had just collided with. Her face fell as she realized she had ran right into the one person she had been trying to get away from. "Sorry." She sighed again.

Jeff looked down at the little red head in front of him, the sadness she felt mirrored on his own features. He wasn't quite sure what he had done to give her the impression that he wasn't happy to see her. Ok. So maybe he hadn't come right out and said he had been *happy*. Maybe he hadn't even looked like it once they had got to the back. He had been shocked for God's sake. Still was, for that matter. "Willow…." He whispered, reaching out a hand to her. It looked for a moment like she was going to refuse his help up. And then, like a brief show of sun through clouds, she took hold of his hand, using his help in getting to her feet. "I didn't mean to make it sound like I wasn't happy to see you… Not at all…I'm very happy."

Willow looked into his eyes, relieved to see something other than anger or irritation there. That had been all she could imagine getting from him, after all. Instead he looked sad. "Really? Lita said you would be happy. It - It just didn't seem like it when we got backstage."

He shook his head. "I was shocked, is all. Hell - I thought you were something good that I had let get away from me. I was planning on going by that hotel tonight to try to find you."

"Something good?" She questioned, giving him a playful smile. "We barely spent an hour together last night and you're already sure I'm 'something good'?"

"Well - I'm thinking that I'll get a chance to do some further investigating of that feeling." He gestured to the halls, the arena, and the entire area in general, a single question burning in his mind. "You're in the WWE? Why didn't you tell me last night?"

Her laugh was genuine; his question so filled with confusion. "That's easy. I didn't even know who you were until earlier today when Lita was showing me some tapes of prior matches." She looked around, remembering for the first time that they were standing in the middle of a hallway. "Which way back to your dressing room?" She followed in the direction he indicated, smirking humorlessly as she realized she had pretty much run in a complete circle trying to get away from the room earlier.

"So…" He began, settling back onto one of the benches in the small room. "Last night you said your friend - Xander - dared you to start a 'new job'. I'm guessing that this, specifically, was the new job?"

Willow nodded. "Yup. Last six months in the WWE and prove to him that I'm tougher than he thinks. He probably is at home right now, still staring at the screen with his mouth open. I don't think he thought I'd actually do it - fly here and try out and *make it*." She smiled. "I promise you - I didn't know who you were when we met last night. I thought you were just some nice guy who was helping me have a better night."

"Well - you were right about the nice guy thing. At least - I hope so. I made you cry within minutes of seeing you again. Guess that doesn't say much about me." He grimaced at his own actions before giving her a warm smile. "I believe you about not knowing. Matt, my brother - you met him right? I know there really weren't any introductions before we went out to the ring."

"I met him earlier at the gym." She grinned. "Nice guy."

"Yeah - he's great when he's not being a pain in the ass." Jeff joked. "Anyway. Matt told me that the 'new girl' - you - didn't know anything about wrestling."

Willow laughed softly, falling into the same easygoing pattern of conversation they had experienced together the night before. "Before those tapes Lita showed me today I had seen exactly one show. And not even a full one at that. I see these people in the halls and I don't know if I'm supposed to recognize them or not. They could be camera men, trainers, or wrestlers - it's all the same to me right now."

"We'll get you caught up on everything." His voice was kind, gentle. "Don't worry. You're gonna win that dare with your 'friend'. Though you may not want to leave at the end of six months."

Willow blushed at the wink he gave her, memories of the night before and their kiss flooding back through her mind. Had he meant to kiss her or had it been the alcohol? Lita had said he wouldn't have kissed her if he didn't want to, drunk or not. But still… 'If nothing else - he's another friend. Someone to spend time with over with while I'm here.'

Jeff opened his mouth to say something else, something he was sure would have been a good deal more flirtatious than the wink he had just thrown her way, when a knock on the door cut him off. "Come in." He sighed, giving her an apologetic look.

"You two done yet?" Matt asked, sticking his head in the open doorway. "The show's over. Plane leaves in two hours. We need to go back to the hotel and pack. Unless you're planning on staying here indefinitely?"

"Be right out." Jeff grumbled, waiting until his brother had closed the door to turn his attention back to Willow. "Guess we'll have to cut this short for now. Maybe I can get a seat next to you on the flight." He leaned in hesitantly, kissing her gently on the lips. When she didn't pull away immediately in revulsion he allowed himself a small smile; when she kissed him back the smile grew. Maybe she was just as happy to see him again as he was to see her. "Don't think for a moment that I'm not happy to see you again, okay?"

Willow nodded, speechless. She stood up, squeezing his hand, and walked to the door. "I'll see you at the airport?"

"Most definitely." He grinned. Through the now open doorway he could see Lita waiting for her trainee and Matt waiting impatiently to get into the room. They were both smiling, though. He started tossing his things into his duffel bag, anxious to get on with things and get to the airport so he could spend some more time talking with one very special red head.

~*~Part Nine~*~

Willow yawned, standing up and stretching as the little seatbelt light went off, the plane still. She rubbed at her eyes, thankful that there was no show the next night. Only practice during the day and some more 'immersion', as Lita called it, into the whole WWE experience. She looked down at the man sleeping next to her, his baseball hat concealing his face from her at this angle. The low, steady sound of his breathing told her all she needed to know about whether or not he had woken up when the plane came to its bouncing landing.

"Jeff…wake up…." She whispered, shaking him gently. The steady breathing halted for a moment, as if he was about to wake up, before continuing on as though she hadn't said a word.

"That won't work, Red." Matt grinned, grabbing his overnight bag from the overhead compartment. "He's a deep sleeper. Yelling works, though."

Willow frowned playfully. "That doesn't sound very nice, waking him up with screaming."

"There are worse ways to wake up." Bubba Ray offered helpfully, coming to stand in the aisle next to them. By now the non-WWE passengers had already disembarked, leaving only the small group of wrestlers on the aircraft. "There was that time with the ice - you remember, right D'Von?"

D'Von smirked, the expression tired. "Or that time with the mice."

"Mice? Ew!" Willow giggled, shaking the man again. She hated to see what these guys would come up with if she didn't get Jeff up quickly. "I doubt that was very nice."

"Actually…." Bubba Ray grinned, rubbing his chin in thought. "That whole thing was Lita's idea if I remember correctly."

The red head turned wide eyes to the female wrestler who only shrugged in innocence. "What can I say? He's fun to play with."

Willow trailed a finger absently down Jeff's face, noting the smile that came to his lips. He certainly was handsome like this. The plane ride, up to the point he had fallen asleep, had been very nice. They had talked about themselves, about the WWE and about life in general.

"Gonna kiss him awake?"

The newest member of the group rolled her eyes, turning to give D'Von a mock glare. "I don't think that'd work if me shaking him isn't."

"Do it anyway." Lita chuckled. "But hurry up - we're tired and I think the flight attendants would like us to get off so they can get some rest, too."

Willow licked her lips, blushing. It certainly felt like she was being put on the spot to wake him up with a kiss. Sort of like a reverse Sleeping Beauty deal. Only this 'beauty' was a man with yellow, green and red hair and she definitely wasn't Prince Charming. She leaned forward, her lips meeting his gently, delicately, as if by magic he -would- simply open his eyes and -

"OH!" She gasped, startled when his eyes -did- open, his mouth pressing against hers in something much different from the gentle peck she had been -trying- to plant on him. When he finally released her she could hear the others snickering, and even Jeff's eyes sparkled with amusement. "You were awake the entire time?"

"No - just around the time you started touching my face." He grinned, standing up and stretching. "Thanks for the wakeup 'call', though."

"You - You - Ooooh!" Willow growled, slapping him playfully on the arm. She reached up, pulling her own bag from the overhead compartment and stepping out into the aisle so that Jeff could get out as well. The others files off of the plane, still snickering over Jeff's surprise wake-up. "That was a mean trick."

"Not from where I was sitting." Jeff murmured, pushing aside his own tiredness to give her his sexiest smile. He winked at her. "Unless kissing me was unenjoyable?"

His prompt was all it took to make Willow blush again. She stammered out a negative to what he had just said. Why was it that she was still this flustered around him? This hadn't been the first time they had kissed. Not even the second. Yet every moment with him was like doing something for the first time. He made her heart beat just that little bit faster. She stumbled a little, the weight of her bag too much for this time of night. His firm hands reached out to steady her, one grabbing for her bag. She held onto it, giving him a look that said she was independent enough to carry her own things. "Come on. You're tired."

Willow nodded reluctantly, realizing he was right. She had been through more today than probably any day in her entire life. There was nothing that she wanted more than to get to the hotel and just sleep. Lita had said that they wouldn't be starting her training until at least late morning since they hadn't even gotten to Georgia until two in the morning. She handed her bag over to him, dimly aware how heavy it had been and how light she felt now that it was gone. "Is the hotel close by?" She murmured, making her way carefully down the aisle and out of the door of the plane. The ramp from the plane itself into the airport was muggy and she knew she was going to hate the weather here. Sunnydale was anything but hot and humid - even on its worst days.

Jeff frowned for a moment in thought, searching through his sleep-clouded mind for memories of what this city was like. They all started to blend together after a while. "Yeah - and we should have a van waiting for us."

"Thank the Goddess…" She whispered, too softly for him to hear her. The others were waiting next to the gate for them, each one wearing a similar sleepy expression. How did they manage to do this day after day and still perform at night? She'd find out soon enough, or die trying. She followed along after Matt and Lita, Jeff staying by her side the entire time. It made her feel nice, to have someone who seemed to want to be around her. Even during the van ride to the hotel, as quiet as it was with everyone yawning, he sat next to her, his body close enough that she could lean her tired head against his shoulder.

"I'll go get us all checked in." Matt offered; the first out of the van. He walked off before anyone could object - not that any of them really had the energy to. By the time they had all made their way into the hotel lobby he had finished up, re-joining them with three room keys in his hands. "For you and you." He handed one to Lita for the room she would be sharing with Willow. "And you two." Another to the Bubba Ray and D'Von. "And I've got ours. So you don't lose it, like last time." His look was directed at Jeff, who was sleepily oblivious.

They piled into the elevators, the tight space giving Willow more excuse than she really needed to stand close to Jeff. For one brief moment she found herself wishing the very un-willowy thought that she'd be going back to Jeff's room. It was very much unlike her - and very much fun to think about at the same time. She closed her eyes, allowing the idea to play out in the theater of her mind.

"You coming, Willow?"

Green eyes popped open, blinking furiously. She looked at the open doors of the elevator that Jeff was currently holding open for her. Shaking her head, she trudged out of the elevator car, yawning hugely. "Thanks." She murmured to Jeff, her hand resting lightly on his chest as he moved out of the way of the now-closing elevator doors. He smiled, grabbing her hand and holding it to his lips for a brief kiss. They kept contact as they walked down the hall, her hand never leaving his.

"Here's your stop." He gestured at an open door only a few yards from the actual elevator. "Matt and I are right across the hall. Sweet dreams, beautiful." And then he kissed her for the second night in a row, wondering how he'd managed to find someone so special.

"You too." Willow whispered when they parted, squeezing his hand one more time before taking her bag from him and going into the room.

She was too tired to notice Lita smirking, a knowing look on her face at the scene she had just witnessed between her friend and protégé. Did either of them realize how cute they were together or that the way they looked at each other transcended a casual relationship? It was too soon for her to assume that Jeff had fallen in love with the other red head, but she knew it couldn't be that far off.

For either of them.

~*~Part Ten~*~

Willow felt like she had only barely fallen asleep when her cell phone began ringing shrilly on the table next to the comfy hotel bed. She cracked open her eyes, noting that the clock already read ten in the morning. A mumble from the bed next to hers snapped the young witch out of her daze and she fumbled for the phone, clicking it on before it could ring again and further disturb her roommate. "H-Hello?" She mumbled, yawning directly into the receiver.

"Sheesh, Wills. It's after ten on the east coast - don't tell me you're still asleep."

"K. Won't tell you. Night night now?" She asked, the male voice on the other end sounding familiar yet unrecognizable to her sleep-befuddled brain. She laid her head back onto one of the many fluffy pillows the bed had come equipped with, praying that this was all part of some twisted nightmare and that she was, in fact, still asleep. Though - a nightmare wherein she was awake and being harassed by someone on a cell phone didn't sound too restful, either.

"Uh uh, old buddy of mine. You have some explaining to do."

Maybe it was the 'old buddy' part or maybe her sleep finally cleared enough for her to think, either way Willow finally recognized the person she was speaking to. Either way her eyes shot wide open for a moment, her voice gaining some semblance of life before sleep could grab hold of her again. "Xan? Explaining? Huh? Too early. Need sleep."

"Sorry, can't do that. What in the hell were you thinking? Running off and joining the WWE? I was just joking for God's sake!"

Willow closed her eyes, dozing in and out of sleep as her best friend in the entire world continued to yell at her from across the country. A soft snore from across the room brought her back to reality and she cracked an eye open to look at Lita. The red haired wrestler was laying on her back, arm flung across her eyes as if to block out the sunlight pouring in through the open curtains. "Xan…just stop. I only did this because you dared me to."

"What? So now this is my fault?" Xander asked incredulously.

"You -do- remember daring me to last six months in the WWE, right?" She waited until he had grunted an agreement before proceeding. "And you -do- remember that I hate to turn down a dare, don't you?"

"Fine. I dared you. Didn't mean you had to run off and actually -do- it!" He stammered, irritation laced with worry coming through the phone. "Come on, Wills. You could get hurt out there. Some of those guys, and girls, don't play fair."

"I'm not a baby, Xan, I can take care of myself." She smirked. "'Sides, I've got some friends already - you may have saw me walk out with them last night - Lita, Matt and Jeff. Ring any bells?" Oh yeah, teasing him about that was going to be fun. After all - *he* was the big fan of the show, not her. Wouldn't it just eat him up inside to know that she was out there, living the big life right alongside all of his favorite wrestlers while he was at home being the same old Xander he had always been? This was her revenge for the dare he had given her - to enjoy every second of it.

"Yeah - I saw." The young man muttered. "Doesn't change the fact that you could get hurt. You don't know the first thing about wrestling."

"I guess I'll have to learn, then." She whispered. "You pushed me to this, Xan. You wouldn't believe in me. I'm sorry if its upsetting you now, but I need to do this for myself. I need to prove I am a big girl and can take care of me - you know?"

She could hear him sigh and then just the gentle sound of his breathing. He was thinking it over - good. At least he had quit yelling. She wouldn't have been able to take much more of that this morning. Not with only seven hours of sleep under her belt. "Xan?"

"I'm still here, Wills. Just thinking - have I really been that bad of a friend?"

"You're the best!" She assured him, a little louder than she meant. Lita mumbled something rather incoherently and rolled over, her back to her roommate.

"If I'm so great why'd I dare you to do something so stupid? You're going to get hurt and then what will I do? Who will take care of you?"

Willow bit her tongue to keep from saying that she hoped Jeff would take good care of her since the last thing she needed was for Xander to start in on her about her - Her what? Boyfriend? Smoochie partner? Co-worker? Lover? Ok - so definitely not lover and yes, he was already more than just another co-worker. But did he think of her as his girl? Or was she just someone to pass the time with on the road? Aloud she murmured, for Xander's benefit. "I'll be fine. Lita and the Hardyz will make sure I'm okay. Don't worry - I couldn't have asked for better protectors. Lita's going to teach me all she knows. One day you'll see me on that screen, kicking ass."

"Yeah - I guess." He still didn't sound happy but at least he wasn't too angry. In the background Willow could hear Anya calling for him to come back to bed. The red head realized that it was still pretty early in Sunnydale. No doubt the former vengeance demon would be in a foul mood for the rest of the day because Xander had woken up early especially to call a girl. Did it matter that that girl had been his best friend for their entire life? Not hardly. It was all the same to Xander's girlfriend. The world was supposed to revolve around her and only her, after all.

"Go get some more sleep, Xan. You can call me later tonight or tomorrow. Whenever you want. If I don't answer just leave a message and I'll call you back when I can, ok?" Her voice was soft, little more than a whisper. Already she missed him, missed Buffy and missed home. Another six months of this seemed almost unbearable but she had already come too far to just give up - not to mention the fact that she wanted to spend some more time with Jeff.

"Love you, Wills."

"Love you, too, silly boy. Don't worry about me, k? The show is bound to come to California sometime and you can come and cheer and stuff. Hold up signs asking me to marry you."

His laughter echoed down through the line and she immediately felt a little better. "Go back to sleep - I'll call you later this week - or later today. Whatever."

"Night, Xander - or, um, morning." She snickered, hanging up the phone. Her eyes closed, the sleep she had pushed away returning full force to slam into her like a great brick wall. At least she knew now that Xander had been watching last night. She wondered how long it would take him to tell Buffy what she had done and what the Slayer's reaction would be when she found out.

Turns out - she didn't have to wait long to find out.

Not even five minutes.

Just as her body was shutting back down to get some more rest, the cell phone began to jingle again. Thankfully, this time the pillow it was lying on muffled some of the noise. Lita didn't even stir and Willow breathed a sigh of relief. She blinked, clearing her eyes of the sleep in them long enough to look at the buttons on the phone. Finding the one to answer the call, she picked up. "Hello?" She asked, trying not to sound too cranky as she answered.

"Willow. Anne. Rosenberg."

"Oh goddess…Buffy. Can't this wait until later? I'm still trying to sleep and Xander just got finished yelling at me." This had to be a nightmare. Or Hell. Maybe she had fallen into some sort of Hell dimension last night on her way from the bathroom to the bed. It certainly was possible. Only Satan would conspire like this to keep her from sleeping.

"Yelling?" Buffy asked, confusion clear in her voice. Willow could picture the blonde, no doubt standing in her mother's kitchen, hand on hip, still wearing her pajamas. "Who said I was going to yell at you? I'm not, by the way. I got up all nice and early like so I could call you before you went off to do whatever wrestlers do when they aren't, you know, wrestling." She giggled.

"Oh. Good. Non-yelling is definitely a plus." The tired young woman murmured. "Was there something specific you wanted to talk about or were you just calling to check on me or -- ?" She let the question trail off, not sure of any other reason why Buffy would be calling her if it wasn't to yell or check on her.

"I heard the whole story from Xander last night about that stupid dare. Believe me - he's going to get another earful from me later today." She paused, taking a deep breath while she gathered her thoughts. "I guess I just wanted to check on you and tell you how great you looked, walking out there on national television with those two hotties at your side. And the guys they were fighting? Yum!"

"Yeah - Matt, Jeff, Edge and Christian are nice to look at." Willow agreed, rolling her eyes yet still managing to smile.

"Jeff? Is he that one that looked like he had been hit over the head with a board when he saw you? He's cute - a little odd looking with that weird hair - but still hot."

"Yeah - that's Jeff." The red head couldn't help the smile that came to her lips at the thought of the younger Hardy across the hall, probably still fast asleep. "The camera men got his reaction on tape? Good. Lita will be happy."

"Oh yeah - they got it all on tape." Buffy snickered. "He definitely seems to have a thing for you. One of the announcers was speculating that you are the long lost mother of Jeff's equally long lost love child. It was silly stuff. Does that guy actually take himself seriously?"

"No clue." Willow grinned.

There was a pause and then, "So - is there something going on between you and the hottie?"

Willow debated for all of a minute on whether or not to tell Buffy about what was going on with her and Jeff. In the end, the desire to gossip won out over any better reasoning she may have had. "We've kissed. It's nice. Not sure if there's anything else between us."

"Willow smoochies!"

The red head could almost hear Buffy doing a happy dance right there, on the phone. Was her love life so pathetic that any sign of hope brought about a celebration? "Calm down, Buff. Was just some kissing."

"But - kissing is good. Definitely a step in the right direction. A non-single direction. Before long you'll have tons of crazed male wrestling fans fantasizing about you, too. I think I may be jealous."

Willow laughed softly, still careful not to wake up Lita. "Yeah - me, a sex symbol. As if. I'll be lucky if they don't get sick of seeing my face within two weeks."

Buffy snorted. "Right. Sure, Wills. Anyway - Go back to sleep. I'll call you Friday - k?"

The young witch nodded them, realizing Buffy couldn't see the motion, murmured. "K. Talk to you later."

She pushed the disconnect button on the cell phone after hearing Buffy's goodbye, setting the ringer to silent so that she wouldn't have to deal with another interruption to her sleep. Lita seemed to still be sleeping pretty deeply, giving Willow some hope that she may get another couple hours of sleep before they had to wake up for practice. She rolled over on her side, pulling the blankets up to her chin, and shut her eyes. Her friends were still speaking to her, she had a hottie giving her smoochies, and she was doing something new and exciting with her life.

Things were definitely looking good.

~*~Part Eleven~*~

Willow bounced experimentally off the ropes in the ring, running from one side to the other, getting the feel of it all. She looked around the empty arena as she warmed up, imagining what it would be like full of people, cheering Jeff's name. Or Matt's. Or Lita's.

Or hers?

'Maybe one day.' The red head thought ruefully. The idea of having fans screaming her name made her both terrified and ecstatic all at once. To think that only a few short days before she had been prepared to spend yet another boring summer at home, hanging out with Xander and Buffy and pretty much doing the same old things she had done for years and years. That had all changed in the blink of an eye. She was a member of the WWE now - a soon-to-be Diva.

'Not too soon, though.' She thought, paralyzed at the thought of her first match. Hopefully that would all be far in the future. She had only just begun learning the most basic of moves, after all. She was no where near the point where she would be able to pull off some of the spectacular feats she had seen Lita perform. And the things Jeff and his brother did were almost suicidal looking. She sighed, bouncing off the ropes again.

"Well, well. Look what we have here, D'Von?"

The red head froze in mid-run, turning to look at the men standing next to the ring. She recalled seeing them in the videos Lita had showed her - Bubba Ray and D'Von. Lita had also warned her to stay away from them at all costs. They were the type of men who had no qualms in hurting a woman. Willow looked around nervously for the red haired trainer, wondering what was taking her so long in the back.

"Looks like Jeff Hardy's little tramp to me."

Anger overrode better judgment and Willow found herself taking a step towards them. Too late, she realized that the move was aggressive and probably not the best thing to do to two men who looked like they could break her in half with their bare hands.

"What are you gonna do, slut?" Bubba Ray taunted, making his way around the side of the ring and to the metal steps that had already been set up for the night's show. "Tell me - did you get in the WWE by sleeping with Hardy? Because, from where I stand, I don't see any talent."

Willow backed away, her frantic green eyes darting between Bubba Ray and his brother. The dark man was still standing down next to the ring, his face a mask of hatred. Thick muscled arms were crossed over his chest. She felt the ropes at her back and wondered if there were any way in Hell that she could duck out of the ring and run up the ramp before the two men could get to her. It was doubtful. She inched along the ropes, towards the corner, watching as Bubba Ray made his way closer to her.

"To think," The man in the ring with her continued. "Genuine Divas like Stacy and Tori have to work with a rank amateur like yourself. It's disgusting."

"Disgusting." D'Von agreed, nodding his head. She could see now why he had stayed where he was. In order to get up the ramp and into the back Willow would have to run right by him. She felt tears form in her eyes. Not from any type of pain from what Bubba Ray was saying - no this was from fear. She knew that the words he spoke were far from the truth. There was no one in the WWE that could claim the pleasure of having been in her bed - not even Jeff Hardy, as tempting as his body was. She had been hired because of her sparkling personality - something these two goons obviously knew nothing about.

"Well, girl?" Bubba Ray snarled, grabbing hold of her chin and forcing her to look at him. The small whimper of pain that escaped her lips only made him smile. "What do you have to say, whore?"

Willow bit her tongue, forcing back the hard words she wanted to lay on him. There was no sense in pissing him off even further than he already was. A movement over his shoulder caught his eye and she felt her body deflate with relief. Lita - and with her Jeff and Matt. They had just cleared the backstage area and were standing, shocked, at the head of the ramp. Bubba's hand clamped down on her arm, squeezing her until she gasped in pain.

"Well? What right do you have to be here with all the -true- women of the WWE?"

The red head felt the grip on her arm increase in pressure and she screamed, the pain too much to bear. The slow creeping progress her friends had been making in an attempt to surprise the Dudleyz suddenly turned into running. Their feet pounded down the ramp, sending echoes through the empty arena. She felt Bubba's hold on her arm loosen as he turned his head to look at who could be disturbing his 'fun'. It was all the edge she needed. With all her might she rammed her foot down on the wrestler's black boot. He released her completely then, groaning in pain. She darted around him, getting to the corner nearest the ramp just as Matt slammed his body into D'Von. A startled gasp was all that left the black wrestler's mouth before he fell in an unconscious heap to the hard floor below. Jeff slid into the ring, dealing hard blows to Bubba's head and chest.

"C'mon, get out of there," Lita murmured, tugging on Willow's pant leg. She had been terrified for her student when they had stepped out of the back and seen her in the ring with Bubba Ray. Green eyes met with her own and she saw Willow smile. Relief flooded through her. If the other woman was smiling she couldn't be hurt too much, despite that heart wrenching scream she had emitted only a few short moments before.

"Don't hurt him too much, little brother." Matt called out, grinning as his sibling dealt another devastating right to the barely conscious Bubba Ray. "We want to be able to challenge them to a match after all, don't we?"

"True." Jeff Hardy grunted, kicking the overweight wrestler one time in the side before turning to his friends. Willow, from what he could see, seemed to be fine, though she was rubbing at her left arm. That had been where Bubba Ray had grabbed hold of her. His face darkened with anger and he longed to lay into the man that was, even at this moment, still struggling to get to his feet. Matt was right, though. Humiliating them in private wouldn't be nearly as much fun as destroying them in a match on national television. He stepped up to the ropes and slid out between the middle and top pieces of bouncy material. His eyes were fixed on Willow, allowing him to completely miss the smirk his brother was wearing.

"Are you alright?" He asked the red head quietly, reaching out to gently touch the spot on her arm that she was rubbing at. He saw her wince and his face fell. "Let me see?"

Lita moved over, nearer her own boyfriend, giving Willow and Jeff a moment to themselves. The red haired wrestler watched as the Dudleyz made their way around them, shooting glares that could have killed their way. If it had only been Matt and Jeff here she was sure the mismatched pair of brothers would have made another shot at them. As it was, they didn't dare with Lita and Willow also at ringside. When they had disappeared into the back Lita finally exhaled in relief. The situation had almost been very ugly and she shuddered to think what would have happened to her protégé if they hadn't walked out of the back at that moment. Her eyes wandered back over to Jeff and Willow and she smiled, the sweetness of the entire scene just too much for words. It was almost too sickly sweet for her stomach, even.

Jeff had rolled up Willow's t-shirt to show the bruise already forming on the woman's pale skin. His face was set in a mask of sympathy and Lita knew without a doubt that Bubba Ray would pay for marking Jeff's - girlfriend? She guessed that was the best way to describe the woman that had turned one of best friends into complete mush. Jeff certainly seemed willing to dote on her like a boyfriend would to his girl. It was cute.

When she and Matt had first started dating Lita had worried that Jeff would end up feeling like a third wheel. That had been the reason, in fact, why he had been out drinking the night he had apparently met Willow - she and Matt had gone out for a good time and Jeff had been left with no one to hang with. Before his fateful meeting of the red head Lita had been feeling genuinely bad for the rainbow haired young man that she loved like a brother. Not now, though. Whatever it was - fate, destiny or pure dumb luck - Jeff had managed to find someone who truly made him shine.

"I think I'm going to be sick." Matt groaned, good-naturedly. "Hey Jeff - I think Red and Lita have some training to get done today. You mind letting go of her long enough for that?"

Jeff turned to give his brother a glare before turning his attention back to Willow. "I guess you need to get in there and get some work done. Will you be okay with that?" He gestured to the bruise on her arm.

"I'll be fine." Willow whispered. She was touched by the protectiveness he was showing for her, the caring that was exuding from him with every word and touch he gave to her. For today he was her hero, her protector. She would never forget the way he had slid into the ring, prepared to take on a man much larger than him simply to defend her. She stood on her toes, giving him a kiss on the cheek. "Thank you."

"Anything for you." He murmured.

"Ahem." Lita cleared her throat, giving the two of them pointed glances when they turned her way.

"We're just gonna sit here and watch anyway, Jeff." Matt interjected, trying to reason with a very love-struck young man. He had never seen his brother this wrapped up in a girl before. It was unnerving to see him break down into a puddle of goo over her. But it was still a good thing.

"Like I'd leave them here alone with the Dudleyz wandering around, anyway." Jeff smirked. He turned back to Willow, gesturing in the direction of the ring. "Go on - get in there and learn how to kick some ass." His fingers caressed her face lightly before pulling back. He took a seat in the front row, watching as Willow crawled into the ring. There was something tough about her, despite the innocence she gave off with every breath or her petite little body. She wasn't even phased by what she had just been through when he had seen women he knew cowed by the same type of rough handling. It didn't seem to have even penetrated enough to hurt her. She was still bubbly, still happy - still everything that he was not so slowly coming to love.

He watched her take a particularly painful looking bump from Lita. It stunned her for a moment and then she just picked herself up and started again, as though it hadn't hurt at all when he knew it had to have hurt, even if just a little.

She was definitely an amazing woman and someone he wanted to keep around for a very long time.

~*~Part Twelve~*~

Willow let herself into the room she was sharing with Lita, shutting the door behind her tiredly. Thank the Goddess there was no match tonight. She didn't think she would be able to tolerate being around all that excitement. Not when her body ached in places she didn't even know was possible. The bruise on her arm was nothing compared to the ones she was sure were forming on her sides thanks to the ropes in the ring.

Today had actually been her first full day of practice and was nothing compared to the little she had done in the ring with Lita only a few days ago. Today she learned to fall, to bounce, to slap, to kick, to hit and to do some maneuvers that she, even now, couldn't quite remember the names for. How was she ever going to remember all of those moves and their names, too? Most of the people entering the WWE knew exactly what they were getting into ahead of time. They were either fans who had trained and prayed every day for their 'one shot' or they were people who had been approached by Linda and/or Vince to participate. In either case they were far from the clueless newbie she was.

She sighed, rotating her shoulders back for a moment, and then forward, trying to ease the kinks out of them. A shower was definitely on the menu, especially since Lita had said that they would all be going out for a little dancing later on. Her trainer was currently down the hall visiting with her boyfriend, giving Willow some time to herself for the first time in days. Her shower could wait a little longer.

Her laptop case was sitting next to her suitcase, the black nylon blending in well with her equally black soft-sided suitcase. There was more luggage, in the small closet near the door, but these were the two most important pieces. She pulled the laptop case from the floor, walking it over to the small hotel desk. Fishing the power cord from the front flap of the bag, the red head plugged it in and then removed her laptop from the case. She inserted the power cord into the proper hole, flipping open the 'mini-computer', as Xander called it, and waiting for it to power up.

She waited until she was sure the machine was booting without a problem before turning her attention away from it to pull out the last item she needed - her wireless modem. Truly a miracle of modern technology, the small device, which was almost a third as big as her laptop, enabled her to access the internet, and her email, from anywhere her current internet carrier had service. She plugged the small cord into the modem jack on her laptop, clicking on the icon on her desktop that ran the program to connect.

The first thing she did, once connected, was open up her email program. She waited patiently for the emails to finish downloading to her computer and then signed out of her internet program. There was no reason to stay connected. If there were any emails she needed to respond to it could be done tomorrow morning or after the show tomorrow night. The first few emails were nothing more than junk mail, brought on by her inadvertently giving out her email address to the wrong company. 'Probably happened when I signed up for that free account with Yahell…' She thought bitterly. She had never had problems with junk mail before then.

The next email caught her eye, the 'sent from' line reading 'Rupert Giles'. There was no subject - a bad sign since Giles only managed to forget little details like that when he was upset. She took a deep breath and opened the email.

~*~*~

Willow ~

Xander came by earlier today to visit and he told me something rather disturbing.

You ran off and got a job in wrestling?

He made it very clear that this isn't the same wrestling we have back home - the kind that gets one into the Olympics if they are very, very good. No, Xander informed me that this is that brutal, reprehensible 'entertainment' that is so popular on American television. The same 'entertainment' where the 'wrestlers' throw each other around and beat the hell out of each other?

Have you lost your bloody mind?

Do you realize how much danger your are putting yourself in? Some of those moves that they do are not safe, young lady. You could hit your head, break your neck, a leg, or, even worse, I'm pretty sure you could be killed. I surely do not think your parents would condone such actions from you. I know I do not.

I realize that this is coming too little, too late, as you have undoubtedly already signed binding legal contracts. Please bear in mind - I am not mad at -you- only your actions, and I wish you much luck in this matter.

Please stay safe. If you need anything, let me know. I will always be there for you, no matter how upset I am. You know that, I hope.

Giles

PS - Yes, I realize this is all Xander's fault for daring you to do it. But, really, Willow, I would have thought you above such things.

~*~*~

'Okay. So maybe he's not as mad as I thought. He still wants to talk to me, after all.' She smirked. A knock on the door brought her out of her thoughts and back to reality. "Who's there?"

"Your favorite rainbow haired wrestler?"

"Hmmm…wonder who that could be…" She joked, making her way slowly to the door. "I mean, I know -so- many wrestlers with multi-colored hair." Opening the door a crack, she feigned a gasp. "Jeff! I never would have guessed it was you! Come in?"

The younger Hardy brother smirked, stepping into the room. "You coming with us tonight?"

Willow nodded, covertly looking over his clothes. Gone were the faded workout clothes he had been in for the first half of the day. The black jeans he was wearing were wrinkle-free, the blue t-shirt tight enough on his body to show off those wonderful muscles of his. Even wet his hair looked great, falling in well-brushed damp strands to his shoulders. He was handsome. But there was more to the attraction she felt for him than just that - he was a good listener and a good talker, someone she could spend time just 'being' with. "Was about to shower and get dressed. You want to -" She paused only for a second, blushing at the slipup she had almost made. Inviting him to shower with her definitely wasn't where this relationship was at right now. "Want to wait out here? I'll keep the door open so we can talk if you promise not to look."

It was a trusting statement considering she wouldn't know one way or the other if he peeked at her through the open bathroom door. He debated whether or not he was strong enough to resist the temptation - he was only human, after all. "Sounds good." He sat down on the bed nearest the bathroom, watching her from behind as she entered into the other room. "So - are you okay, after earlier with Bubba and D'Von?"

"Well, I'm not going to say I wasn't scared." She called back to him, stripping off her workout clothes and dropping them to the bathroom floor. The shower curtain slid away, revealing a large bathtub. Maybe if there was time tomorrow morning she could soak her aching muscles. "For a few minutes I really thought I was going to get hurt. And the things he was saying weren't very nice."

In the bedroom Jeff could hear the water start. He smiled, picturing her naked and in the warm water. It was enough to bring his body to instant excitement, unfortunately. He groaned, praying that her shower wouldn't take too long. "What exactly did he say?"

"That I wasn't a true Diva - that I didn't deserve to be in the WWE. He mentioned someone called Stacy and someone called Tori. Who are they?"

"Bubba's pets. Though he likes to call one of them, Tori, his girlfriend, and the other one his manager." He snorted. "I can't believe he said they were 'real wrestlers' or 'deserving' even. The most they've ever done is compete in bra and panties matches."

Willow froze under the water, disbelieving what her own ears had just heard. "Bra and panties matches?" She questioned. "Please tell me that is a figure of speech and not -"

"Oh, no. It's quite literal." Jeff chuckled. This conversation was safe enough, it took his mind off of the woman showering only a few short feet away, completely naked. There was no way he could stay aroused when talking about Tori and Stacy. They were one hundred percent not his type - too flashy, too fake and just plain too much. Nothing like Willow. Willow was completely natural and not at all flashy. She was innocence and beauty. "That's the type of match where the goal is to strip your opponent down to their underwear."

"And do you enjoy watching those types of matches? Are they popular?" She turned off the water, stepping onto the mat next to the bathtub. The air was cool because of the open door and she shivered, hastily grabbing a towel and rubbing at her water-beaded skin. She listened to Jeff's reply as she dried off.

"Not really. I mean - yes, they are popular. As are lingerie matches, swimsuit contests, etc. They just aren't my style."

"And what -is- your style?" Willow asked, bending over to dry off her legs.

"You, of course."

Willow stood up straight, looking at the doorway. She wished for a moment that she could see Jeff's face to see if he was joking. Somehow she doubted that was the case, though. Not when he had said it with such an honest tone or so simply. A blush crept from her toes to her head, warming her chilled skin. 'He wouldn't think I was his type if he could see me now, red as an apple.' "Thank you." She said finally, unsure of what else to say.

"Welcome."

The red head looked around the bathroom. Where were her clothes. She remembered taking them out of her bag and then -

'Damnit.'

'They're still on the bed.'

She clutched the towel around her, tucking the top corner in so that it would stay semi-secure. And then she did something she never would have thought she'd do in front of someone she had only known for about a week.

Walked out of the bathroom wearing just the towel.

Jeff felt his heart leap into his throat, the arousal he had been trying so hard to subdue flaring back to life immediately.

"Forgot my clothes." She apologized, a blush creeping across her face. She grabbed the pile off of the bed, turning to go back inside the bathroom.

Only to be stopped by Jeff.

"You really are beautiful, you know that, right?" His voice was husky, low, and it made Willow's stomach clench with excitement.

"If you say so." She whispered.

"Well - I do." He pulled on her arm, causing her to bend over just enough for him to kiss her softly on the lips. Then he let go, afraid of what he would do if they kept in contact for much longer. She was so attractive and already so special to him. He nodded towards the bathroom. "Go get dressed, my Willow."

"Your Willow?" She questioned softly. "Are we dating now?"

He was the one to blush then. Her question was so direct and he hadn't once stopped to think that maybe she didn't -want- to date him. "Well - if you want to, that is."

She nodded, a smile creeping across her lips. "I think I'd like that." They just stood there, looking at each other, getting lost in each other's eyes. Willow even forgot for a moment that she was standing there in only a towel. The rustle of keys outside the door snapped them out of their trance and Willow darted into the bathroom, shutting the door right before Lita stepped in, Matt behind her.

Lita looked from Jeff to the bathroom door and then back again, grinning all the while. "What just happened in here, or do I -not- want to know?"

The bright-haired wrestler turned to her, his own grin only one shade short of being just plain goofy. "I've got a girlfriend."

~*~Part Thirteen~*~

"You are beautiful."

Willow shivered under the weight of the words her boyfriend had, well, purred into her ear. She moved her body closer to his, their efforts on the dance floor resembling something closer to sex than actual dancing, and looked up into his warm brown eyes. "And you, Mr. Hardy, are handsome. Sexy, even."

Jeff Hardy smirked, his lips touching hers for a kiss. He felt their bodies stop, dancing forgotten as they explored the depths of each others' mouth.

"Can't you two get a room?"

They broke off, turning as one to glare at Matt and Lita. The other couple had maneuvered through the dance floor until they were only a few feet away, their arms locked around each other. Knowing smiles were plastered on their smug faces.

"We have one, remember?" Willow smirked. "You guys wanted to go dancing - so here we are. Now shush." She stuck her tongue out at them.

"Like ya'll weren't just as bad when you first started dating." Jeff grinned at his brother. He stepped away from his dance partner enough to stretch his arms behind him and gave her an apologetic look. "I am getting sort of tired, though, baby. Can we sit for a few?"

Willow nodded, allowing herself to be led to one of the tables. She fished her cell phone out of the pocket of hear jeans, checking to see if she had any messages. Satisfied that she hadn't missed anything, the red head set the phone down on the table. "I need to run to the little girl's room. Be right back." She kissed his cheek, darting off through the crowd.

Jeff watched her go for as long as he could see her, then he turned back to the table. Only a few feet away Edge and Christian were currently having a drinking contest. God only knew how they'd be able to perform tomorrow night. 'Speaking of performing tomorrow night…' The younger Hardy's thoughts turned dark as he remembered the scene at the arena earlier that day. Bubba Ray and D'Von attacking Willow like that. She had been royally confused later that day, when she remembered that the Dudleys had, in fact, been nice to her on the plane to Georgia only the night before.

His answer to her - they had been drunk on the plane and quite sober at the arena. Those two, as a rule, get much nicer when they've had a few drinks, he'd explained to her. They were going to pay for that they had said and done to her, it was a promise he had made not only to his girl, but to himself as well.

The sound of Willow's cell phone ringing startled him out of his thoughts. In an automatic response he clicked it on before remembering it wasn't his own phone, answering, "Hello?"

There was silence and then. "Who the hell is this? Where's Willow? If you've done something to her I will personally tear you limb from limb and beat you to death with your own arm."

Jeff smirked. "This is her boyfriend. Willow's in the restroom. Who am I speaking to?"

Again, silence before the answer. "Xander."

"Oh - she's told me about you. A lot, even. You're the one that dared her to join the WWE, right?

"That's right - and what was your name again?"

The wrestler chuckled at the defensive tone in the man's voice. It didn't take a genius to realize that Xander was undoubtedly very protective of Willow. And probably kicking himself for doing something as stupid as daring her to join an organization where she could get hurt. "Jeff."

"Jeff Hardy?"

"The one and only."

"You're -the- Jeff Hardy?"

Jeff grinned at the startled squeak of the man's voice. "Sure am."

"Ohmigod. I'm like one of your biggest fans."

The wrestler listened for a minute, hearing Willow's best friend go over each and every one of what the other man considered to be his 'greatest moments'. He almost sighed in relief when he saw Willow making her way across the club, a questioning look on her face. "Look - Xander, hold on a sec. Here's Willow."

The red head grinned, grabbing the phone from her boyfriend and holding it to her ear. "Yes - I know who you were just talking to, Xan. Uh huh. Jeff Hardy. Riiiight. Best tag team of all time. Yep." She shook her head, fighting back a laugh. Xander had never sounded this awestruck before. "He told you he's my boyfriend?" She smiled. "Yeah - that's the truth. Oh? So now I'm the coolest best friend ever? And can I please get you an autograph?" She laughed outright now. "Sure, Xan. Was there something you needed? Ok, well if you remember just call me tomorrow."

She hung up, shaking her head.

"Sorry 'bout that. I picked it up out of habit before I realized what I was doing."

Willow smirked. "That's okay. You gave Xander one of the best moments of his entire life, I think. He did say to apologize to you for threatening to beat you to death with your own arm, though."

"What a relief. Tired?"

Willow paused in mid-yawn, giving Jeff a shy grin. "Sorry. Not really used to having my ass kicked all day then going out dancing at night. Usually we do one or the other where I'm from."

Jeff shook his head in amusement. "Sorry, Red. Wanna go back to the hotel? Matt and Lita can catch a ride back with Edge if they need to."

Floating on the emotional high of a wonderful and exciting day, Willow couldn't help herself. She leaned in close to Jeff, placing a teasing hand on his thigh. "Inviting me back to your hotel? Don't you think it's a little soon for that?" She licked her lips, winking at him. Her entire demeanor screamed sex, though that was the last thing on her mind.

'Okay - so maybe not the last thing. Probably more like first or second.' She thought, her body reacting to the teasing she was giving Jeff.

Jeff met her eyes unwaveringly, giving her a wink of his own. "You're welcome in my hotel anytime, Red. But I think you're probably too tired for the activities you're playing at tonight."

Willow groaned, blushing. "You're right." She shrugged. "Some other time, then?"

"Count on it."

~*~Part Fourteen~*~

The next night meant Jeff and Matt throwing down a challenge to the Dudleyz in front of the live audience. She followed along, next to Lita, as the boys made their way through the halls and to the commissioner's office. Debra was sitting behind her desk, quietly looking through a list of match ups for the evening. Willow envied her. She was the ultimate sex symbol. More than awesomely proportioned and she knew how to use it. A far cry from herself, the itty bitty Lita wannabe.

"Hey guys." Debra smiled, looking up at Matt's knock on the doorframe. She motioned them inside. "How's our newest addition?" She gave Willow a questioning look.

"Good. I'm great. Fine. Wonderful." The red head blushed, stopping in mid-babble.

Debra chuckled. "Glad to hear it. Now what can I do for ya'll?"

"We want a match with the Dudleyz. Tonight."

"No holds barred."

The blonde looked back and forth between the two brothers, a smile breaking out across her face. "It's your lucky day, then, boys. My tag match for the night was canceled. Christian is sick. Ya'll can have your match."

"Hardcore?" Jeff asked hopefully, his eyes alight with fierce joy.

"Sure thing, hun. Hardcore rules. Falls count anywhere. Beat the hell outta them, k?"

"Thanks, Debra." Lita grinned, tapping her boyfriend on the shoulder. "Let's go get ready. Where are we on the lineup?"

"Right after the first match." Debra replied, penciling them onto the night's schedule. She went back to her paperwork after giving them another 100-watt smile, a clear dismissal.

"What do hardcore rules mean?" Willow asked Jeff. She walked next to him down the hall, the two of them behind Matt and Lita. She assumed that 'hardcore' was a type of match, but it wasn't one she could remember having seen during her limited experience in the WWE.

"Means we can hit them with chairs, ladders, fire extinguishers - anything we can get our hands on." Her boyfriend gave her a smile. "They're gonna pay for what they did, baby."

Willow blushed under the term of endearment, giving his hand a slight squeeze. "Yeah - but you'll be careful, right?" In her mind she could see Jeff getting hit in the face by a chair, or put through a table. And wouldn't a fire extinguisher be sure to give him, at the very least, a concussion?

"Don't worry 'bout him, Red." Matt called over his shoulder. "His head's too hard for anyone to do any permanent damage."

Willow heard Lita laugh and went along with it. If the other red head wasn't worried about Matt's safety, why should she be worried about Jeff's. They entered the locker room, Jeff and Matt unzipping their bags and pulling out their gear.

"Can you two, I dunno, turn around or go out of the room or somethin'?" Jeff asked. This wasn't how he wanted to see him undressed for the first time, in a locker room right before a match.

"Why?" Lita smirked. "Nothin' I haven't seen before."

"Come on, Lita. You can show me where to get a soda."

The older red head nodded, linking her arm through Willow's. "You two just remember that you didn't want us to hang around while you got all naked, okay?"

Willow laughed, though the idea of seeing Jeff naked was decidedly not a funny thought. It made things low in her body tingle in anticipation. Hopefully soon that anticipation would reach a climax - she didn't know if she could take much more of this.

"Oh. Look. The new girl."

Lita stiffened, turning to face the woman that had come up behind them in the hallway. She frowned. The way the blonde said 'new girl' made it seem no better than 'street walker' or 'trash'. It was the same way Jericho said Stephanie's name, full of scorn and distaste. "Why hello, Stacy, need something?"

"Just coming to see what all the fuss is about." She smirked. "And, personally, I don't see it." Her cool gaze turned directly to Willow. "How you managed to snag Jeff Hardy I just don't know. You're so - small."

"Cut the crap, Stacy." Lita turned, grabbing hold of Willow's arm and leading her away form the woman.

So neither one actually saw Stacy come up behind them and grab hold of Willow's hair, yanking furiously downwards. The red head went down with an 'oof', her head hitting the hard concrete of the floor. "I was talking to you, bitch."

Lita whirled, her closed fist hitting Stacy across the mouth, sending the tall blonde backwards a pace or two. The two women stared at each other for a long moment before Stacy threw another smirk down at the red head. "My boyfriend is gonna kick Jeff's ass tonight. And it'll be all your fault." She flounced off, leaving Lita to kneel beside Willow.

"Are you okay?"

"Ow." Willow moaned, holding her hand up to her head. She knew it was the back of her head that had actually hit the ground, but it hurt all over now.

"C'mon, lets go let one of the docs look at that." Lita sighed, helping Willow stand. The smaller woman was wobbling on her feet.

"Why?" Willow whispered, tears of pain, frustration and embarrassment coming to her eyes. Stacy had been right. How had she ever managed to get someone as great as Jeff Hardy to fall for her? She was small, not nearly beautiful and unable to even defend herself against a hair-pulling bully.

Lita saw the look on Willow's face out of the corner of her eye and stopped in the middle of the hallway. "You're not actually letting what that ho said get to you - are you?"

The smaller of the two women shrugged. "She didn't say something I haven't head before." She laughed, bitterly, leaning against a wall and closing her eyes to the pain in her head. "I'm used to being picked on."

"Oh, come on, Red." Lita sighed. "You're better than her. Prettier, too. She's all silicon and plastic. You got Jeff, after all."

Willow sighed. "Yeah - but for how long around women like that?"

"Jeff doesn't think those women are pretty. It takes more than a boob job to turn his head."

The young wrestler laughed aloud at that, sending spikes of pain shooting through her head again. She moaned, sliding down the wall ever so slightly.

"Uh uh." Lita murmured, grabbing her arm and forcing her back to a standing position. "C'mon. To the docs. Now. And no more doubting yourself." A thought began to form in the back of her mind, one of letting Willow stick up for herself. Stacy wasn't much of a wrestler. She was little more than a show piece. Bra and panties matches were the only thing she ever really stood a chance at, and that was only if her partner was as much of a flake as she was. Willow could take her easily, with a little more training. "Tell you what - if the doc clears you we're gonna do some intensive training and, in three days, at the next Smackdown taping, you'll take on Stacy."

"Oh, no. I can't do that. I'm not ready. She'll hit me and I'll fall down and it'll hurt. I'll make a total and complete ass of myself." Willow babbled, oblivious to the look Lita was giving her.

"You'll do great, trust me. And don't you want to get back at her for what she said? For what she did?" Lita's voice held a sly edge, a taunting one that she was sure would lure Willow into the match. The girl deserved to get some back for herself. She recognized all the signs of someone who had been picked on, probably in high school where kids were the cruelest. This would be a good way for the red head to get some of her lost confidence back.

"Okay." Willow said finally, nodding her head. She winced, seeing through slitted eyes that they were nearing the room the WWE doctors had set up in for the night. "I'll do it. But only if you think I'm ready. I'm not up to another head shot."

Lita chuckled. "Don't worry. It'll be Stacy getting her ass beat down in a few days." She passed Willow off to one of the doctors, explaining what had happened. "Just sit here and let them look you over. I'm going to go tell the boys what happened." She backed out of the room, taking off towards Matt and Jeff's locker room at a jog. They were probably wondering where she had gone off to. Matt wasn't going to be happy when he heard what had happened.

And Jeff?

Jeff might just make a match between Stacy and Willow at Smackdown pointless by killing the blonde bitch beforehand.

~*~Part Fifteen~*~

"You're gonna do great."

"I'm going to throw up." Willow argued. She sat down heavily on the bench behind her, leaning forward until her head was between her legs, her red hair falling down around her face like a curtain. She had never felt so sick in her entire life. Never before had she been so nervous that the butterflies in her stomach turned into a rampaging creature closer to a bird that coursed through her and made her want to, well, loose her lunch. "I can' t do this, Lita."

The other woman smirked. She took a seat next to her protégé, rubbing her upper back soothingly. "It's no different from walking out there with Jeff and Matt."

"Yes it is!" Willow scoffed. "This is me, in the ring, fighting." She snorted, raising her head and giving Lita a bleary look. "What if I fall down and look stupid? What if she actually manages to land a good punch? What if - "

"No more 'what ifs'!" Lita declared, standing up and giving Willow a hard look. "Doesn't Stacy deserve this? Isn't this what you joined the WWE for?"

"I joined the WWE on a dare!" The young woman protested. "I had actually never really thought about getting in the ring with anyone. I've never been in a real fight in my entire life. Sure, the martial arts classes were great. But that was all fake. This is real and she will be -really- trying to kick my ass."

"So don't let her."

It seemed so simple to say it. 'Don't let her kick your ass.' What a novel concept, really. Go out there and defend and give just as good as she got. It all seemed so simple, sitting here in the back, with still fifteen minutes before she was due to go out. She was already dressed, still as a mirror image of Lita. The look suited her, though; more so than anything else ever had suited her in her entire life. Then it hit her. The one thing that could possibly save her from having to do this. "I don't have intro music. I can't go out there without music. I'll look like a moron."

Lita's look told her that the excuse was far from valid. "Matt and Jeff will graciously donate theirs, of course." She said with honey-filled sweetness and a roll of her eyes; the sarcasm beneath it all too tangible.

"Oh." The younger woman sighed.

"Enough with the excuses." Lita demanded. "You're going out there and you are going to kick Stacy's uppity little ass for what she did to you the other night. Do just like we did during practice and everything will be okay, I promise. Nothing fancy. Just get her down and pin her."

"Yeah - just like during practice." Willow frowned. "Except this time there are a few thousand people in the audience - not to mention the ones at home!"

A knock on the door cut off any other protest she was going to make.

"Ya'll decent?"

"Does that ever matter?" Lita grinned, opening the door.

"Not really." Matt smirked, strolling into the room. He immediately took note of Willow. She looked like a wreck. "Nerves?"

"Better believe it." She grumbled.

"What's there to be nervous about?" Jeff asked. He sat down next to his girlfriend, pulling her small body into his lap. Instead of the softness he was used to, however, he was met by stiff arms and muscles. Matt was right, she was a wreck. "Baby, what's wrong? It won't be that bad. I promise. It's just like walking out with me and Matt. And when you get done, I'll be here to kiss away any bumps and bruises."

"Bruises?" Willow croaked. "I'm not good with bruising. Doesn't go well with my skin color at all. There was no talk of bruising."

"Calm down." Jeff said firmly. He motioned to Lita, discreetly asking her and Matt to leave them alone for a few minutes. "C'mon, Willow. You're gonna do great. And - it's either this or I have to take a piece out of Stacy's ass myself; and I'm trying not to hit a woman."

Willow felt a smile creep across her lips before she could stop it. How could she help it? Jeff was so reasonable sometimes. And his voice was like heaven to her ears. Calming, soothing. That light southern accent a godsend in a time of stress. She relaxed into his arms. "You're too good to me."

"Just doin' what's in my heart, sweetie." He tilted her head up, kissing her lips gently. Gone was the tense woman of only a moment before, replaced by the kitten he had come to care for. He felt her hand rubbing along the back of his neck, her touch soft and caressing.

"Thank you." Willow murmured when they finally broke apart.

Jeff grinned. "Anytime, Red." He could hear music start up on the small monitor in the corner. That signaled the end of the previous match. Someone would be doing a promo next and then - Willow versus Stacy. "Ready for this?"

"No." She admitted truthfully. "But we'll never know how unready I was if I don't go out there and give it a shot, will we?" She slid off his lap and held a hand out to him. "Walk me to the ramp?"

Jeff nodded. Due to the fact that they had wanted to keep the Dudleys from ringside, Lita had been very cautious when she had asked for Willow's match. Everyone was barred from ringside. That meant that Bubba and D'Von couldn't help Stacy, but neither himself nor Matt, nor even Lita, would be able to assist Willow. That didn't mean that they wouldn't be ready to run out at a moment's notice if someone snuck down to the ring to interfere. There was no way he was going to let her go without help if she needed it. He hoped she wouldn't need help, though. The way she had trained during the week was impressive. He had no doubt in her abilities, though without confidence in herself it would be almost as bad as if she had no training at all. Maybe things would turn around once she got a few good hits in on Stacy.

He hoped, anyway.

~*~Part Sixteen~*~

Willow walked down the ramp, head held high despite the fact that she was almost literally quaking in her shoes. Matt and Jeff's intro music was blaring through the air. It felt strange to be out here without them, without even Lita by her side. The air was filled with that particular buzz of energy that always seemed to precede a fight. Everyone in the audience knew why this match was taking place; JR had made a special point to interview her earlier that day and the promo would have aired right before the match. So everyone was up to speed. That was good, Willow didn't want the fans to be confused.

Especially when they were cheering so loud for her.

She made her way up the stairs, stopping to throw the crowd nearest her a bright smile, before ducking under the ropes the referee was being kind enough to hold down for her. She whispered a 'thank you' before stepping into the center of the ring and posing for just a moment, her hands in the air as if to say 'here I am'. They only cheered harder. Was it that they liked her for who she was? Or that they just wanted to cheer her on for being the one scheduled to kick Stacy's ass tonight?

'Probably a mixture of both.' She smirked, stepping into her corner as Stacy's music pulsed through the arena. The warm greeting the red head had been given only a moment before turned into a hateful calling of boo's and insults. The crowd really didn't like the leggy blonde, despite the fact that she was such a sex symbol.

Willow took a step out of her corner and Stacy paused midway down the ramp, her eyes distrustful, the sneer on her mouth disdainful. The red head snorted and shook her head, motioning with her hand for the blonde to just keep on walking. The sooner she got to the ramp, the sooner they could get this over with. She watched as Stacy shook her head again and motioned for her to get into her corner.

Arching an eyebrow, Willow grabbed the mic from the ring announcer, holding it to her lips. Stacy's music cut out a second later and the red head hid a smile. The guys in the back really were good about timing. "Stacy. Stacy. Stacy." She smirked, pacing from one side of the ring to the other, her eyes sparkling with thinly veiled amusement and quite open hostility. "Doesn't matter if I'm standing here." She stopped in the center of the ring and pointed down at the mat. "Or over in my corner. I'm gonna kick your plastic ass the second you get in this ring."

She literally bit her tongue to keep from laughing at the outraged expression on Stacy's face. This was good knocking Stacy on her ass with words alone. It certainly made up for the nauseating nervousness she had been feeling only moments before she had stepped onto the ramp. The crowd was eating it up, laughing and cheering for her and, for the first time, she felt like she was going to be able to pull this off. Maybe, just maybe, she wasn't going to make a fool of herself.

"Gonna stand there all night, Stace? 'Cuz I'd sorta like to get back to lovin' all over Jeff."

~*~*~

"She's a natural."

"I agree." Matt grinned, nodding at Lita. He, like his brother, had held his breath as the red head had made her entrance. They had watched apprehensively as she made her way to the ring. The smiles she had given the crowd were brilliant, the type of thing that would set her apart from the ones the crowd hated. She was already a fan favorite and all she'd done so far was walk out with him and Jeff and challenged Stacy to a match.

And when Stacy had walked out and Willow had taken the mic, he had known right away that she was going to be a hit. They hadn't even had to prompt her on all the little nuances of the business, she had picked up on them all by herself. Including the verbal sparring that was so much a crowd pleaser.

"That's my girl." Jeff grinned. He was being goofy, he knew it. But he was so -proud- of her! Gone was the shy little girl who had been practically crying in his eyes not even fifteen minutes before and in her place was someone who was going to be a superstar. The smile grew almost impossibly wider as Willow handed the mic back to the announcer, backing into her own corner with a sarcastic bow to Stacy. So Willow was going to do this the blonde's way?

Good.

Stacy was still going to get a beat down she would never forget. He hoped, anyway. There was always the chance that Stacy, even being the awful wrestler she was, would manage to win the match. Willow had barely had any training, after all. She knew only the most basic of moves, nothing spectacular. Nothing that would make the crowd go 'ooo' or 'ahh'.

But, sometimes the most basic of moves were all that it took.

The bell dinged and the match began. Unconsciously leaning forward, Jeff rested his elbows on his knees, his head propped up in his hands, eyes focused on the screen. Already Willow had managed to avoid one of Stacy's so-called 'punches' and had darted out of the way of a half-hearted kick on the part of the blonde. But his girl hadn't made any moves of her own yet. It was almost as though -

"She's taunting her." Lita murmured, a surprised smile on her face. Each time the camera zoomed in to Willow's face she could see the young woman mouthing off at Stacy. Some of the words weren't too polite either, things that couldn't be said aloud on television.

"Ya know, I think you're right." Matt grinned. He clapped Jeff on the back, startling his younger brother out of his thoughts. "What do you think of our little Willow now?"

Jeff just smiled, shaking his head at Lita and Matt. The question had been innocent enough, but it had sparked something deeper inside of him than he was willing to admit to them just yet. "Same thing I always did, guys." He turned back to the screen, realizing for the first time that he had come to care about the little red head a little more than just as a friend or a casual girlfriend. He felt a tightness in his heart as Stacy attempted to land another punch on Willow and then a rush of relief when his girl dodged it yet again. Yeah - this was past caring. Past any simple emotion like that.

This was love.

"I think she's the greatest."

~*~*~

Willow ducked as Stacy came bouncing off the ropes, arm extended for a clothesline. She turned, sticking her leg out in front of her to catch the blonde right in the stomach. The leggy woman doubled over in pain, gasping for breath. She grabbed hold of the other woman's hair while she was doubled over, offering her a knee to the face.

Releasing her grip on Stacy's hair at the insistence of the referee, Willow heard the crowd screaming for her. They were on their feet, clapping and cheering. Her name echoed through the arena.

It felt good.

She turned to where Stacy was laying on the mat, breathing hard. The blonde's eyes were shut, her chest heaving with the effort to just take in oxygen. Willow placed her hands on the blonde's shoulders, holding them down to the mat. She heard the audience count with the referee and she mouthed along with them.

One.

Two.

Three.

She jumped up, the referee holding her arm up as the crowd cheered. It hadn't been the most spectacular match, she knew. But they had loved it just the same. They loved -her-. She grabbed the mic again, turning to where Stacy was still laying on the mat. A cruel smile ran over Willow's pretty features as she kneeled next to the other woman. She put a finger under Stacy's chin, forcing her to look into her eyes. "You asked me how I had managed to snag Jeff, Stacy." Her words were soft, almost intimate. "This is how. I'm good at what I do. And that includes kicking your ass. Don't forget it."

The mic clattered to the mat as Willow stood up. She gave the blonde one last smirk before sliding out of the ring. Matt and Jeff's music started up and the crowd started cheering again, their screams following her as she walked back into the backstage area. Matt, Jeff and Lita were waiting for her just on the other side of the set and they looked proud. With a tired smile and a thumbs up, Willow fell into Jeff's arms, letting him hold her. They were speaking, words of praise and congratulations.

She couldn't have been happier.

~*~Part Seventeen~*~

Her cell phone had three messages on it by the time she made it back to the locker room she was sharing with Lita.

Not to mention the fact that it was currently ringing.

She snatched it up, holding the small piece of plastic to her ear.

"Hello?"

"Old buddy of mine, you really know how to get the G-man worked up."

Willow laughed. "What'd I do this time, Xan?"

"And I quote 'I cannot believe that our Willow is actually speaking like that on national television.'"

She could hear the laughter in his voice and she laughed aloud. "Really? I didn't think I said anything that bad."

Xander snorted. "Was less what you said out loud and more of what you said once you didn't have the mic in front of your mouth anymore. Apparently Giles can read lips pretty well."

That only made her laugh harder. She could only picture Giles sitting in front of the television, being all very stuffy and British-like at the things she had been saying to Stacy. Lita gave her a questioning look and then turned back to stowing her things in her gym bag.

"You shouldn't laugh." He admonished playfully. "I'm sure you'll be getting a scathing email about it tomorrow morning."

"I'm sure." She smirked. "So how's everything else back home? You okay? Buff okay?"

"I'm fine. She's fine. All is fine." He sighed. "We miss you, though."

"I miss you guys, too. But - hey - we'll be in LA in two weeks. You'll be there, right? I can get you backstage passes and everything. If you want to come see me, that is." The idea of seeing her friends was practically enough to make her jump up and down with excitement. "I need to call Angel and Cordy and invite them, too."

"Do you have to?" Xander whined. "Deadboy is quite enough without 'Delia with him, too."

"Bah." She snickered good-naturedly. "They're my friends and I'll invite them if I want to."

Only when she heard Lita laugh did Willow realize that she had just stuck her tongue out at the phone. She turned to her red haired mentor, blowing the woman a raspberry.

"What was that?" Xander asked.

"Just blowing raspberries at Lita."

"A lovely red head sticking her tongue out at another lovely red head. Be still my heart."

"You're such a perve, Xan." Willow laughed. "Anyway - we're leaving now so I'll call you early next week. Give my love to everyone."

"Have a good night, bestest bud."

"Night, Xan."

She clicked off the cell phone, smiling down at it despite herself.

Lita couldn't help it, she waited patiently for Willow to speak, to explain the last comment that had seemed to involve herself and perversion - but the other woman was just standing there smiling at her own thoughts. She sighed, placing her hands on her hips.

"So - what's this about Xander being a perve?"

~*~*~

"We should celebrate."

Willow looked over at her boyfriend in the darkness of the car, eyebrow raised. "What do you have in mind?"

He shrugged. "Little late for dinner. We could go back to the hotel, order some room service, and just -"

"Cuddle?" She finished for him, a smile on her face. "Sounds great to me. Lita got her own room so we won't disturb her. But I guess you already knew that, huh?"

Jeff gave her a smirk. He had known that his girlfriend had her hotel room all to herself. Matt had been looking forward to this night for a while and had been very vocally happy about it when it finally came. His older brother and Lita were going to be spending some 'quality time' together. That was all fine and good, though. He had something to tell Willow that needed to be said in private. Something very personal.

Love.

He was actually going to tell her and, he hoped, hear it back. She hadn't given any indication that she loved him, though. And that made him more than a little nervous. Who was to say that she felt the same way? There was no way to be sure without just coming right out and bringing the subject up. He had known from the second he realized his own feelings that he wasn't going to be able to hide them from her for very long. He ached to just say the words aloud, to tell her how he felt.

And tonight he would be doing just that.

~*~*~

Willow settled onto the bed next to Jeff, putting her drink on the nightstand. It was just coke, nothing too fancy. She didn't want to ruin their night of together time by getting drunk and silly. Not when they so rarely got anytime to themselves.

Not to mention the fact that she had something very important to tell Jeff and she didn't want to be even the slightest bit tipsy when she did it. She loved him. With all of her heart. And tonight she would let him know and pray to whatever goddess was listening that he returned the feelings.

"So - what do you want to watch?" Jeff asked quietly. He was looking over the tray of goodies that had just been delivered by room service. One of them brought a secretive smile to his face. Strawberries and whipped cream. Did Willow have even the slightest clue how many fantasies he had running through his mind involving her and whipped cream? He took the bowl of strawberries in one hand and the bowl of freshly whipped cream in the other and came to sit down on the other side of the bed. Kicking off his shows, he set the bowls between them.

"Doesn't matter." Willow admitted. "Just want to spend time with you."

She blushed. That had sounded stupid; little girl-crush like, even.

Jeff smiled gently, leaning over to kiss her on the lips. "Nice to know you feel the same way. We can just leave the TV off if you don't care."

Willow managed to nod, trying to shake the lump in her throat, the pounding of her heart in her chest. Now was as good as any time, she guessed.

"Willow -"

She paused, her mouth open ready to say what she had needed to say. "Yes, Jeff?"

"Somethin' I need to tell you."

She sat back. The pounding in her chest felt unbearable now. He had something to tell her? 'Oh Goddess, he's breaking up with me. He got me alone so that he could break the news in private.' Her chin began to tremble. "Go ahead."

"Hey, now." He chided her, reaching out to stop a tear that had already fallen from her eye. "It's nothing bad. At least - I don't think it is."

"What?" She whispered.

"I've never met anyone like you, you know. You're so sweet and kind - and undeniably beautiful." He paused, rubbing at the back of his neck. "I feel silly - but, here goes - I love you, Willow."

"Wha-?"

It was the last thing she had expected to hear from him and thus something that inspired nothing less than utter confusion in her. "You love me?"

He nodded, eyes fixed on hers, waiting for a response of any kind. Good or bad he just needed to know how she felt.

"Whew!" She sighed, collapsing back onto her pillows. Her laughter filled the room a moment later.

"Um, Will?" Jeff frowned, confused. "When I pictured this moment it didn't really involve you laughing at me."

"Sorry." She gasped, sitting up in bed and wiping a tear of happiness from her cheek. "It's just - I was going to tell you the same thing - tonight even. Right before you said you had something to tell me." She pouted at him. "Guess that means you get to say you said it first."

He smiled at her. "So does this mean -?"

"Yes, yes. Of course!" She leaned over, grabbing his face in her hands and giving him a kiss so passionate she was worried the bowl of whipped cream between them would begin to melt. "I love you."

Then they were kissing again, their mouths meeting like it was their last night on the earth. She felt his tongue push against her lips and she willingly parted them, giving him full access to her mouth. A stir of motion between them brought her attention to the bowls of food.

"Need to move these." She muttered, pulling away from him. She reached for the bowl of whipped cream, only to be stopped by Jeff.

"Just a sec." Grabbing a strawberry from the bowl, the rainbow haired wrestler dipped it into the bowl of whipped cream and then brought it to her lips. He groaned aloud when she took the strawberry into her mouth, a small dollop of whipped cream finding its way into the corner of her mouth.

"Let me get that." He murmured. The next second he was leaning in, kissing away the cream. He heard her soft moan of pleasure and grinned inwardly. Now the bowls could go.

Though he'd keep the whipped cream nearby - just in case.

~*~Part Eighteen~*~

The tension was thick in the lobby of the hotel. Willow felt as though the oppressive atmosphere might suffocate her at any moment; leave her gagging and breathless on the floor. She was pretty sure it was even lethal. Maybe it would kill her and then she wouldn't have to face what was going to be happening at any moment.

"How bad is this gonna be?"

The red head looked over at her boyfriend, raising an eyebrow at him. "I haven't seen them in nearly a month and a half. It's gonna be bad. Not to mention Xander's hero worship of you, Matt, Lita, etc, etc, etc." She rolled her eyes.

"Sounds like fun." Jeff grinned. He was staring up at her, watching her pace back and forth in front of the small group of chairs in their little corner of the lobby. From here they both had a perfect view of the front doors of the hotel. They would know the second her friends walked in.

Well, she would anyway. He had no clue what he was looking for.

"There!" She cried, her hand coming up to her mouth. "There they are!"

Before he could stop her, question her, anything - she was off and running, the hard soles of her sandals clip-clopping across the marble-tiled floor of the hotel. He stood and took his first look at the newcomers.

First up was a tall male who looked to be about the same age as Willow, only a little younger than he himself was. The man was dressed in an outlandishly bright Hawaiian shirt, the type with green and white flowers all over it. Like Willow, he also wore sandals, though these looked more like the type one would wear to the beach. He could only assume that this would be Xander, the only male friend of Willow's that would be coming for this trip. Her other male friend that she had spoken of, Angel, had turned down the invitation. Something about having a case to work on.

The next person that caught his eye was the woman standing next to Xander. She glared at Willow possessively the moment his fiery little red head took the man in for a hug. Putting two and two together, Jeff figured that she had to be the ever annoying Anya.

And then there were the blondes. One a woman, the other still a teen. Buffy and Dawn, if memory served him correct. They looked like sisters, even down to the fact that they stood the same way. Their smiles were equally identical and bright, though the younger of the two seemed far more excited.

"C'mon guys." He heard Willow order, leading the way over to him. He plastered a smile on his face, stilling his own nervousness at the idea of meeting the friends that were so close to being family to Willow. The only time she had spoke about her mom and dad had been to say that they were 'alive' and 'somewhere in Europe'. From everything he had learned about her during their short time together, this was her family.

"Buffy, Dawn, Anya, Xander - I want you to meet Jeff." She introduced, stepping away from her friends to wrap her arms around her boyfriend's waist. She smiled up at him.

"So you're the man that's stolen our Wills' heart." Buffy smirked. She looked him from head to toe, hardly hiding the fact of what she was doing. The smile on her face as she finished was praise enough. "You'll pass. Definitely better than Oz, Willow."

The red head blushed, thinking about how Jeff was better than Oz in so many ways. Ways she wasn't about to share with Buffy. Not with Xander and Dawn around, anyway.

"You," Xander breathed, eyes wide as he stared at Jeff. "You are just -the- best tag team ever. You and Matt, that is. The two of you. Not just yourself because you can't have a one man tag team. Can you? That would certainly be interesting. And, oh dear God, I'm babbling."

Willow sputtered, laughing into her hand. Then Dawn joined in, and even Buffy. Last was Anya. Xander blushed crimson and gave Willow a mock glare. "I can feel the love, Will."

"Oh, Xan. You know I love you."

"No loving of my Xander." Anya snapped. She gestured with one hand, linking her free arm through Xander's. "Love on Mr. Rainbow over there."

"Let's get you guys checked in so you can get ready before we have to leave." Willow prompted, rolling her eyes discreetly at Anya's ever bitchy attitude towards anyone that dared to care about Xander. It was annoying, but at least her friend had someone to keep away the loneliness that life had to offer. Sort of like Jeff did with her. Though Jeff was much less annoying than Anya.

Much, much less.

~*~*~

"Ohmigod." Xander breathed. "That's Kevin Nash. Wills, did you see? It was Kevin Nash. As in NOW. Wow."

Willow smothered a laugh, turning to look at Xander with a completely serious look on her face. "Really? Wow, Xan. All these famous people around, I just don't know what to do with myself."

He gave her a stern look. "Mock me all you want, little miss bigshot wrestling lady. This is one of the best nights of my life."

"And here I thought you came to visit just to see me." She pouted. "You just wanted to meet my co-workers, I see how it is."

Behind Xander she could see Buffy leaning against a wall, a smile on her face. Willow knew that the smile had less to do with the goofing off going on between herself and Xander and more to do with the handsome, half-naked men strutting through the halls.

"Aw. You know I miss you, Wills. I can't wait for this to be over so you come home for good, even."

That brought Willow up short. She looked at Xander, opening and closing her mouth. When had she said she was coming home? Didn't he understand that she had a life here, now?

"That's Hulk Hogan!" Xander cried. He reached into his back pocket, pulling out a slip of paper and a pen, oblivious to the distress he had just caused his best friend. "I'll be right back."

Willow was glad that Anya and Dawn had gone to get a drink. That meant that only Buffy was around to see the look of shocked sadness on her face.

"Don't worry about him." Buffy frowned. The exchange between her two friends hadn't gone unnoticed, despite the fact that she had been lost in visions of male god-hood. She pushed off of the wall and came to stand near Willow, wrapping her arm around the red head's shoulders. "If you want to stay, no one will blame you."

"He thinks I'm coming home, though." She whispered. "How am I supposed to tell him that I don't think I -want- to come home? I mean - I have a career now. And - "

"And there's Jeff." Buffy nodded. "You love him. I can tell by the way you look at him. And he looks at you the same way." She sighed. "Xander's silly to think you're gonna give up everything you've worked for and come back to Sunnydale. But don't worry. He'll still be your friend. And so will I. Dawn too."

"What, not Anya?" Willow laughed, wiping the tears from her eyes. She heard Xander thank Hogan for the autograph and knew he was coming back towards them.

"Well - she wasn't your friend to begin with, now was she?" Buffy grinned evilly.

"True." The red head forced a smile onto her face. "You get what you wanted, Xan?"

"You are the best." He smiled down at her. "I never thought I'd get to go backstage at the WWE."

Willow smiled at him. She'd tell him before he left that she may not come back at the end of her six months. But not right now. Later.

For now she'd just let him be happy.

~*~Part Nineteen~*~

Today was it.

Graduation day.

And Willow's graduation exercise?

One hurricanrana on her mentor and teacher.

She stood nervously one top of the turnbuckle, balancing precariously on the ropes. Her heart was in her throat, pounding madly.

"I'm not sure -"

"Oh, stop that." Lita snapped playfully, giving her student a mock glare. "You've seen the tapes, watched me do it, and we've even practiced all the steps. Time to just put everything together and do it."

Willow took a deep breath, trying to calm herself even as she attempted to mount another protest as to why she shouldn't be attempting this move. Not yet. She wasn't ready. Well, maybe she was. This was the four month anniversary of the night she had debuted in the WWE, walking out with the Hardyz and Lita. Four entire months had gone by and already she had participated in matches ranging from regular women's one on one matches, to intergender tags with her boyfriend, and even, much to Giles' shock and embarrassment, bra and panties matches.

And now this.

The hurricanrana was the last move Lita said she had to teach Willow. If the red haired rookie managed to pull this off Lita would be giving her a pat on the back and telling her that training was over.

"But - what if I hurt you?"

Lita frowned. "You're not going to hurt me, Will. You're going to ace this move just like every other one I've taught you in the past few months. Just have a little faith."

The door to the gym opened and shut behind them and Willow fought the urge to turn around, knowing that her balance was so unstable that doing so may cause her to fall.

"Here we go, Will. Jeff's here. Do it and make him proud of you."

That was all the incentive Willow needed. Making Jeff proud of her was always a highlight to her day, though she had come to believe that just living and breathing made him proud of her. That was the funny thing that love did. Made all the normal everyday life activities into something special and amazing.

She drew in another calming breath and fixed her eyes on Lita's, giving the other woman a slight nod. The older wrestler moved into position, standing absolutely still so as to make this just as easy as possible on her protégé. And then -

Then Willow was in the air. She twisted and lashed out with her legs instinctively, as she had seen Lita do a million times before. And then came the part they had been able to practice. She turned again, rotating so that Lita was now being thrown and she herself was safely on the mat. She hit hard, but otherwise was fine

Cheers erupted across the room and she looked up to see Jeff and Matt waiting patiently by the door. She could already see a look of pride in her boyfriend's eyes and it warmed her all the way to her soul.

"See - I told you everything would be okay." Lita admonished her gently, playfully. She helped the smaller woman to her feet, giving her a bright smile. "Well. You know what this means. You're through with training. I've taught you everything I know."

That made Willow bounce up and down, a smile on her face like her mother had just told her they were going to Disneyland. After months of practicing and training she was finally done. She was no longer a 'rookie'; now she was just another wrestler.

"So - what are you going to do now?"

"Huh?" Willow turned to give Matt a confused look. "What do you mean?"

"He means what are you going to do now that Lita has set you free? Who will you be walking out with or are you going to just do your own thing?" Jeff asked quietly. They had never really spoken about this; about what would happen when she was out of training.

Willow flushed, blushing a faint pink. "Well, I guess I assumed I would still be with you guys. I mean, if you want me and all. I don't want to be a hindrance if you don't want me around. I can find someone else to walk out with. Or I can just go out on my own and not walk out with anyone. I'm sorry. Maybe I should have stopped and talked it over with you guys. I shouldn't have assumed. - "

"Whoa, whoa, whoa." Jeff laughed, giving Lita and Matt a knowing grin. "We never said we don't want you walking out with us anymore, Will. We just want to know if that's what -you- want. There's no one forcing you to be a part of Team Extreme."

Lita nodded. "As much as I hate to say it - you're free to go manage one of the other wrestlers or tag teams. Edge and Christian don't have a manger currently."

The younger of the two women frowned. "No offense to them, but they're not what I want. I want to be with you three, if you'll have me."

At that Jeff Hardy climbed into the ring, pulling his girlfriend into his arms. He kissed her still slightly-sweaty forehead and looked into her eyes.

"You're always welcome wherever I am, baby."

"I'll second my lovestruck brother's sentiment, Red." Matt chuckled. "Even if he wasn't so attached to you we'd want you with us."

She smiled, looking around at the family she had managed to pick up without even trying. There was really only one thing to do, faced with such overwhelming support and caring.

"Well, if you're that set on keeping me, I really wouldn't want to disappoint."

"Glad to hear it." Jeff murmured in her ear, the whisper hinting at promises of things to come later, when they were alone. He was insatiable, but that was a good thing considering how good he was at pleasing her.

She shivered under his touch, averting her eyes to the mat so that neither Lita nor Matt would see the lust in them. The desire that burned for Jeff and Jeff alone.

So she missed the knowing looks the two gave each other or the winks they passed. No one was more aware of the love between the red head and the rainbow haired wrestler than they were.

Especially since they had to be around the sugary sweetness almost nonstop.

~*~Part Twenty~*~

"So - what's on the agenda for tonight?"

Willow looked across the hotel room at Lita, giving the older woman a smile.

"Well - me and you versus Stacy and Torrie. Fun, fun, fun. You know how much I love to slap them around."

Lita chuckled, shoving a change of clothes into her gym bag for after the show.

"Sounds like barrels of fun."

The former witch grinned, going back to packing her own bag. They still had an hour before it was time to leave for the arena. But she had things to do before then.

Namely meeting with Linda McMahon.

She had been pleasantly startled when the matron of the McMahon family had asked her to come by her hotel room before leaving for the arena. That is, she had been surprised until she realized exactly why she was being summoned. Her six month anniversary with the WWE was only one week away. One more short week until her contract expired. And then what? Was Linda going to offer her another contract or was this it?

The thought of retuning to Sunnydale was like a bitter taste in her mouth. She loved the city, it was her home after al. But she didn't want to live there anymore. She enjoyed life on the road, seeing new cities and meeting new people. During the six months she had been a member of the WWE she had come to crave the excitement, the spotlights. She didn't know if it were possible for her to go back to being plain old Willow, computer nerd and research girl.

She liked being Willow, fourth member of Team Extreme and girlfriend to Jeff Hardy.

Jeff.

The other reason she was terrified of this meeting.

If Linda was going to tell her that they wouldn't be offering her a contract renewal it would break her heart. Not being with the WWE meant that she wouldn't get to see Jeff on a regular basis. He'd be on the road and she'd be back in Sunnydale, missing him terribly. She wasn't naïve enough to believe that a long distance relationship would work. Not when he would only be home maybe a couple weeks out of the entire year. They would undoubtedly drift apart. It would be inevitable.

She sighed.

"What's wrong?"

Willow shook her head. "Nothing. Just nervous. Gotta go see Linda in about…oh…five minutes." She glared at the clock on the nightstand, as though it was to blame for the meeting.

"Why?" The older wrestler sat on the edge of her bed, her forehead creased with confusion.

"I'm guessing its because my contract expires next week."

"Is that why you're worried?"

Willow nodded.

"Worries she won't renew my contract."

Lita gave her an odd look. "Now why would she do a thing like that? You're a crowd favorite. They love the rivalry going on between you and Stacy. They'd be stupid to not offer you a renewal."

Willow just shrugged. "I guess." She glanced at the clock again. "No way to find out like just going there, though."

"Good luck." Lita called after her, watching the door swing shut. She shook her head, a smile on her lips. That girl really needed to get over these self-esteem issues and just face the fact that she was a star.

A WWE superstar, that is.

~*~*~

Willow sat nervously in one of the chairs in the small 'living-room' section of the suite Linda and Vince had gotten for their stay in this, the latest stop on the WWE's tour of the Eastern US. She watched as Linda sat down across from her, a medium-sized folder, almost an inch thick, in her hand.

"Well, I suppose you're wondering why I called you here."

"Yes ma'm."

Linda smirked, the expression managing to still seem kind on her face.

"No need to be so formal, Willow. My name is Linda, remember?"

The red head blushed and nodded, her hands clasped nervously on her lap. She waited for the chairman of the WWE to continue.

"As you may or may not realize, you're contract with us is just about up and I wanted to talk with you about what that means. When you first came to me, almost six months ago, you told me that you had been dared to do this, that you were just trying to prove yourself to your friend. And I gave you that chance."

Willow swallowed around the lump in her throat, her chest tight with anxiety. "And I'm very appreciative of that, Linda."

The older woman smiled at her and continued. "I've never been happier to have given someone a chance, Willow. You did wonderfully. Better than I had even hoped considering you knew nothing about our company when you started." She paused. "But the six months is almost over and I need to know what your intentions are now."

"My intentions?" Willow asked nervously.

"Yes. Do you want to continue on with us or will you be leaving to go back to the life you had before? I know you mentioned school and one day having a career in computers."

The red head shook her head, her eyes wide. "No. I don't want to go back. The WWE has been the best thing to ever happen to me. Just give me a renewal and I promise to be the best employee you've ever had."

Linda smiled. That's what she had thought, but she had to give Willow a choice, remind her of the life she had left behind a half year prior.

"If that's all its going to take, dear, then consider it done. I'll have the paperwork drawn up for you by tomorrow morning. Will that be soon enough for you?"

Willow laughed, relief coursing through her body. She wouldn't have to go back to Sunnydale and she could still be with Jeff each and every day. It was music to her ears.

"That'll be perfect. Just wonderful."

~*~Part Twenty-One~*~

Lita looked up as Willow came bouncing back into the room, a fierce joy on her face.

"I take it you got offered a renewal."

The young red head nodded, hopping onto her bed and bouncing up and down despite herself. It was childish and silly, but that was how she felt.

"Another contract. Two years this time. She'll have it ready in the morning." She laughed outright as Lita joined her on the bed, the two of them bouncing like children. It felt good to have someone to share this moment with.

"Have you let your friends know you're not coming back yet?"

Willow stopped bouncing, favoring Lita with a mock glare.

"You would have to bring them up, wouldn't you?" She stuck her tongue out. "Buffy pretty much already guessed that I wanted to stay. I haven't come right out and told Xander yet, but he'll either understand or learn to get over it. This is my life, now. With you and Matt and Jeff. I don't want to go back to Sunnydale except to visit."

Lita smiled, jumping down off of the bed. "Good to hear it. I know Jeff will be happy to know that, too."

"Oh!" Willow exclaimed. "I should call and tell him."

"Save it for when we get to the arena." Her former trainer snickered. "They've probably already left and we need to do the same."

The red head nodded, grabbing her gym bag and following Lita out of the room. She was anxious to get to Jeff and tell him just how well her conversation with Linda McMahon had went. He, like Lita, had tried to comfort and reassure her earlier in the day and she knew he would want to know how things had turned out.

~*~*~

"So?"

"So what?"

Jeff sighed, pulling his girlfriend into his arms and forcing her to look into his eyes.

"So how did your meeting with Linda go?"

Willow hid a smile. He was so cute when he was worried.

"Oh that. It went well."

"Well?" He asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Yep. Well."

He waited a minute before sighing in exasperation. "C'mon baby, don't play with my heart like this. Did you get a contract renewal or not?"

She smiled, placing a light kiss on his lips. "Of course, silly. Don't tell me you were worried after all of the encouragement you were giving me earlier."

Jeff Hardy shrugged. "There was always the chance, you know."

Willow nodded. "I know. But everything is going to be just fine. Linda said my new contract will be ready for me to sign in the morning. Two years this time with an option for them to renew at any time."

"Go Red!" Matt cheered, entering the room in time to hear the status of her employment with the WWE. He picked her up from behind, swinging her around the room. She laughed aloud when Jeff reached out, tickling her sides as she was held motionless by his brother.

"Stop. Stop." She begged, laughing so hard that tears were rolling down her face.

"Why should I?" Jeff chuckled.

"Because you love me?" She reminded him in between laughs.

He paused for a moment and then smiled. "Good point. You can put her down now, big bro."

Matt released Willow, ducking to miss the playful swat to the back of the head she aimed at him upon gaining her freedom.

"You sure this is what you want?" Jeff asked, his eyes sparkling with amusement though his face was serious. He had been worried all day about her not getting the renewal they both were hoping for. Now that she had been granted one he just needed to hear her say that she was happy for it; that she didn't regret being here and not at home with her friends.

"There's no where I'd rather be." Willow admitted honestly, drawing his mouth down to hers for a kiss. It was funny the way things had turned out. And to think, she owed it all to Xander.

And one silly little dare.

~*~The End~*~

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