A/N: I KNOW, the last thing I need to be doing is starting another story, but sometimes, the little voice in your head just won't shut up, even when you poke it with a Q-tip. To give this some context, I first got the idea for this story when I was writing my IPod Shuffle Challenge about Melina. So I put this idea up in a poll on my profile along with two others, and this is the one that came in first, so for those of you who voted, you got your wish! Also, if you want to read the song-fic that started this story, feel free to do so! It's a good read, I promise!

As I say every time, read, review, but more than anything, ENJOY! Peace!

A/A/N: This story takes place from August to December of 2006

DISCLAIMER: I own nothing and no one in this story

Let Me Fall

Chapter 1: The Prodigal's Return

August 21, 2006

He was never supposed to come back.

At least, that's what he'd told himself. But yet, somehow, against all his better judgment, Jeff Hardy found himself back in a WWE ring. By all rights, he should have felt grateful, or at the very least, nostalgic. But to Jeff, it was just another wrestling ring. That's all; just a ring. It didn't matter whether it had four sides or six—just so long as he could soar. To some Superstars, it was all about the gold, all about the prestige—but to the Rainbow-Haired Warrior, it had always been all about the feeling. No title belt could come close to the rush he felt as he flew…or fell.

Not that he was totally opposed to holding championship gold during his second run in WWE. He might be a daredevil, but Jeff Hardy was still there to win. He might be a little older and a little wiser, but he was still hungry for competition, ready to sink his teeth into whatever talent had sprung up on Raw during his absence. Maybe he wasn't ready to challenge for the WWE Championship yet, but he would start on the bottom, if that's what it took. Start on the bottom and work his way up; prove to those guys in the comfy chairs who made all the decisions that the Charismatic Enigma could run with the big dogs.

Jeff walked down the hall away from the gorilla position, thinking about his recently ended first match back, grimacing as he did so. Edge—now that had been starting at the bottom. It didn't matter that the Rated R Superstar (as he apparently called himself now) was now also the WWE Champion; as far as Jeff was concerned, ever since that whole situation with Lita and Matt, Edge was scum, plain and simple. Most likely, someone on high had wanted to stir up some of the old controversy surrounding the Rated R Era, and figured that one Hardy was as good as another. Well, it didn't work like that. Edge and Lita—they were Matt's business, not his, and WWE Championship aside, Jeff wanted no part of it.

Which brought him to the way the match had ended. People had been congratulating him on his victory ever since he'd stumbled backstage; he wanted to remind them all just how empty that victory was. A win by DQ—that didn't mean anything. He hadn't won; he'd just survived. The whole point of returning was to prove to everyone that he wasn't washed-up; that he could burn bright without burning out. And he couldn't do either by winning on a goddamn technicality.

The Rainbow-Haired Warrior ground to a halt, closing his eyes and tilting his head up toward the ceiling. He clenched his fists at his sides, remembering the Swanton Bomb, recalling the roar of the fans and the rush of air and how good, how good, it felt to finally be back…

Someone bumped into him, almost hard enough to knock him over. Jeff's eyes flew open, and he staggered to the side. He heard a sliding sound, and looked down to see a mobile Sidekick skittering between his legs. The Charismatic Enigma did a weird side-step, crossing one leg over the other to avoid stepping on the device. He teetered for a moment, his arms pinwheeling back and forth. His equilibrium regained, he bent down, picking up the SideKick and staring at it for a moment in bewilderment.

"Excuse me!" Jeff almost winced at the female voice that grated on his ears. He did not envy the guy who had to wake up to that. He turned toward the source of the voice—then froze when he saw that it belonged to perhaps one of the prettiest girls that he'd ever seen.

She was short, probably only a few inches above five feet, and definitely Latina. Her long curly hair was a dark reddish-brown, except for her bangs, which were bleached a pale blonde. She was dressed all in brown, from her chocolate-colored crocheted top to her furry brown boots. She would have been gorgeous—if her face hadn't been twisted into an expression of arrogant irritation.

The mystery girl cleared her throat, holding out her hand palm up. Her nails were long and perfectly manicured. Jeff looked from her hand back up to her face. "Do you mind?" she snapped, and he realized that she was referring to the SideKick. Wordlessly, he held it out toward her, and she snatched it from his grasp, glaring at him as though expecting him to grab it right back and run like hell.

Wrapping her slender fingers around the mobile device (they looked more like talons, now that Jeff thought about it), the mystery girl crossed her arms over her chest, tapping her booted foot impatiently. Apparently, she found Jeff's reticence even more annoying. "Well?" she added, raising one eyebrow expectantly.

Jeff shot his eyes to the left, then to the right, wondering if he'd somehow missed part of the conversation. "Well…what?" he finally asked.

The mystery girl sighed, as though the answer was obvious and Jeff was slow. "Well…aren't you going to apologize for bumping into me?" she replied.

The Rainbow-Haired Warrior felt an overwhelmingly urge to laugh, and he did laugh, throwing his head back as he tried to regain control of himself. This girl was nothing more than a spoiled little princess, one who was accustomed to getting what she asked for. If it rained on her birthday, she probably would have taken it as a personal affront. Wiping tears from his eyes, he looked back at the mystery girl. His laughter must have pissed her off even more; steam was practically coming out of her ears. "Apologize?" he managed to get out between chuckles. "You ran into me, remember?"

The mystery girl scowled; she must not have been used to having her logic questioned. "You—you—you punk!" she sputtered, an epithet, which made Jeff laugh even harder. "Don't you know who my boyfriend is?"

Jeff shook his head, unable to answer. He felt like he was about to throw up; he was laughing so hard.

Once again, he had given her the wrong answer. The girl's face turned bright red. "You will!" she spat. "Wait 'til I tell him about this; he's going to kick your ass!"

"Good!" Jeff replied with some difficulty. God, he couldn't remember the last time he'd found a situation so funny! "I welcome the competition!" He broke down again on the last word, and had to bend over and put his hands on his knees. After several agonizing seconds, he was able to get himself back under control, and straightened up.

The mystery girl was still where he'd left her, peering at him critically. Something about the probing intensity of her gaze unnerved Jeff, and he felt compelled to comment. "What? What're you staring at now?"

The mystery girl looked back at him for a moment, and then her mouth curved up into a malicious smile. "Nobody," she cooed, poisoned sweetness dripping off her every word. Her eyes never left his. "Nobody at all."

Her icy calm was more terrifying than her rage a moment ago, and Jeff felt his grin fade. The girl's smile grew even wider; she must have been pleased with her handiwork. Waggling her fingers at him in a farewell, she mouthed "Bye!" before spinning smartly on her heel and continuing down the hall.

Jeff watched her depart, shaking his head. Girls like that…beautiful to look at, but God help the poor sap who got too close. And Jeff had been around long enough to know when it just wasn't worth getting your hand bitten off at the wrist. Still…it didn't hurt to look…and he would have been lying if he said that that girl—bitchy personality and all—didn't intrigue him.

The Charismatic Enigma looked down the now-deserted hallway, uttering the one question on his mind:

"Who was that?"