~Chapter 2 - Hunter's POV~

How I ever lived and breathed before you loved me, I don't recall
If I walked around at all, it was in bits and pieces of a jagged heart
You kissed me and every piece went back in place, every pain got erased
You held me up to the light

Talk about being floored. When Jeff told me that he loved me, I had no idea how to respond. I was afraid. I can admit that, because the person I'm admitting it to is the person I look at in the mirror each morning. My head was so screwed up at that moment, I had no idea which way was up or down. And when he looked at me with those beautiful eyes the color of crushed emeralds and jade, and I watched as those beautiful lips formed around the words - "I love you" - well, all I wanted to do was to take him in my arms and never, ever let go.

See, I've been in love - well, maybe love wasn't the word for it; perhaps infatuated is better - with Jeff since the first time I laid eyes on him. Yeah, so he was a skinny, shy, sometimes bratty little kid who had no clue what he was doing, and he had yet to realize the full potential of his charm and charisma. But, I saw it. And I knew that he was destined for greatness. And here he is, telling me that I am the greatness he feels he is supposed to have.

I've watched him develop in the ring, and grow outside it as well. I've heard through the grapevine, mainly Sean, how his heart had been broken by this person or that. Matt was always at his wits' end with Jeff. He seemed to think that his little brother just needed someone to love him the way that Jeff was capable of loving someone - completely, totally, with all his heart, mind and soul. And god knows how many nights I lay awake, wishing I could be that person.

See, I never thought I would be what Jeff needed. I never thought I was what anyone needed. I guess after awhile, I had been conditioned to believe that I was worthless without "the name" behind me. When Stephanie realized that I could never be what she wanted - a little lap dog to follow her every order, jump every time she snapped her fingers, to cater to her every whim - she started telling me that I was worthless. Without the Princess in my corner, I would sink instead of swim. The final straw came the night I cried out someone else's name in my sleep - and it wasn't even female.

No one ever left me out in the rain, cold words still remain unspoken
And I never got lost, spent years in the dark - you're here, now my heart's unbroken
When I see your smile fill my soul again, I'm unbroken

That's when she started distancing herself from me, refusing to look me in the eye, and - thank the gods above - stopped wanting to sleep with me. When I finally got the nerve to ask her why, she threw one of her patented fits, told me I was a freak, that I was disgusting and that she never wanted to see me again. Well, one out of three wasn't bad.

Luckily for me, she was snotty enough to not mention to anyone why we weren't together any more. How would that make her look, people knowing that the Game was lusting after one beautiful rainbow sprite? So, I was able to walk away with my manhood intact, with the exception of one carefully placed Prada heel, and try to get on with my life.

Which is what brought me to the night that changed my life. When Sean asked me if I wanted to hang with him and Matt, I thought it might do me some good, get out, have fun, hang with the guys. When he mentioned that Jeff would be coming with us, I almost backed out. I didn't know if I could bear to be around him and not touch him. I started out the door, then went back in. I got on the elevator, then got back out. When the door opened in the lobby, I saw Matt and Sean standing there, and almost went back in.

Then I was saved momentarily by a high school cheerleading squad. Oh, the stuff dreams are made of! Nightmares are more like it, but hey, what's a guy to do, when you're that damn good? So, I signed autographs and posed for pictures and hoped they would leave without me. But, when I was done, there they were. And there he was. And, believe it or not, I choked.

He probably thought I was pretty full of myself, because I didn't talk much. I had my defenses up long before war had been declared. I was afraid I would bore him to tears, or worse. So I sat there next to him all through dinner and watched him. He was really quiet which was far from the norm for Jeff. Little did I know…..

If I doubted the power of love, baby now I understand
I thank God for every day I wake up to the soft touch of your magic hands
In this world sometimes the only thing that's real is the way you make me feel
Babe, the changes day and night, I swear it's life

I was bored out of my skull in that club. Matt and Sean were busing playing PR people, so that left me alone with Jeff at the table most of the night. I kept waiting for him to get up and dance, or find someone to hang out with, but he just stayed there. I thought maybe he was doing it because he felt guilty about leaving me alone. So, I just started talking about everything that popped into my head. Until I saw him staring at me, and I knew I had done it - I had sent Jeff Hardy into a catatonic state. His eyes were all glazed over, his mouth was hanging open a bit, and I had to know what was on his mind, so I asked.

I almost fell out of the chair when he told me he loved me. Instinctively, I did the one thing that anyone else would do in that situation- I asked him why. I'll never forget the look on his face, like I had three heads or something. He was completely floored by the fact that I didn't know how wonderful I was. Well, hell, of course I didn't. Sometimes, I still don't. but when I start to doubt, Jeff's always there to remind me why he thinks I am.

No one ever left me out in the rain, cold words still remain unspoken
And I never got lost, spent years in the dark - you're here, now my heart's unbroken
When I see your smile fill my soul again, I'm unbroken

I have a bad day, Jeff's there to listen to all my problems. I don't do as well as I think I should in a match, he watches tapes with me and helps me find where I made a mistake. And when I have to be around her, and she finds some way to cut me down, he's right there to pick me up and get me on the right track once again. All I have to do is look into those eyes and see all the love he has for me, and slowly but surely, I start to think that maybe, just maybe, I'm worth it.

Tonight's the night. I've waited as long as I can, and I know that Jeff's just as anxious. He's been teasing me to no end, and I haven't exactly been an angel either. I think we just had to reach that point were we both knew it was right. Okay, I had to reach the point where I knew it was right. In some way, I guess I was waiting for him to prove to me that he was serious, and now that I know, it's time to move forward. I've tested him, pushed him to the limit, and he's hung around. No matter what I did, he stayed. And he's still here.

I've been distracted all day, going through my plan over and over. I want it to be perfect. I want it to be special. I want it to be as good as he is. I want him. Just a couple more hours and we'll be through here. We'll head back to the hotel, he'll go take his shower, and I'll slip into his room and create our own paradise. I just hope I remembered everything. I wonder if Sean has some matches I can use?

I still see the night, I fell into your eyes - and when we made love it felt like the first time
No one ever left me out in the rain, cold words still remain unspoken
And I never got lost, spent years in the dark - you're here, now my heart's unbroken
When I see your smile fill my soul again, I'm unbroken

Read Part 3 of 3 of Perfect