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Matt smiled to himself as he watched Ashley with the baby. She was playing with him by holding him high up over her head, then bringing him back down so that their faces were close. She really seemed to be enjoying herself, and the baby did as well. This was definitely a good sign. After all the crying that child had done initially, he'd been worried that it just wouldn't stop. Okay, so the kid didn't exactly seem to like him, but he was taking to Ash very quickly.
"Isn't this a lovely sight," he said as he entered the room, catching his girlfriend's attention.
The blonde smiled as she gazed over at him for the smallest fraction. She could barely tear her gaze from the baby.
"Matt... I didn't hear you get in."
"Yeah, well, I just got here," he explained. He was carrying a suitcase, as he was just returning from a few days on the road with the WWE's SmackDown brand. He stopped in his tracks to just stare at the vision of Ashley holding the baby. If he squinted just ever so slightly, he could actually seem him as being their child and not Adam and Amy's. A crooked half-smile came to his lips.
"You two just look so right together," he said.
The little blonde laughed, holding the infant even closer to her. She snuggled him, nuzzling his cheek with her own.
"Oh, Matt," she began, "I'm so happy we have little Joey! He has been just about the greatest gift I could have ever hoped for."
Those last few words caused a slight skip in the dark-haired man's heartbeat. He knew it was in no way possible, but those words almost made it seem like Ashley knew.
Matt chuckled slightly as he finally came over to his girlfriend and the child. He pressed a light kiss to her forehead, then smoothed away some stray blonde hairs.
"I'm glad you're happy, Ash... and that you love this little guy." He smiled as he continued. "Anything or anyone that puts that kind of a smile on your face is for keeps... and believe me when I say that this little guy is a keeper." He winked, and Ashley's smile grew even larger and brighter. She moved ever so closer to him until their lips met in a passionate kiss.
Tommy didn't particularly like the closeness and began to cry. They stopped kissing, and the blonde began to softly laugh as she comforted the little boy.
*
Amy fidgeted like crazy as she and Adam waited... and waited.
They were at their local police precinct, following up on the report they had made to the officers who had come to their house on the night Tommy had been taken.
The redhead looked up from her twiddling fingers to eye her husband. Adam was performing his customary nervous habit of pacing the length of the floor. Occasionally, he ran a hand through his long blond hair as well, and at times, seemed to be angrily muttering to himself.
"What the hell is taking so long?" he suddenly barked. He stopped pacing long enough to simply face the closed door of the police chief's office just beyond the room, his impatience and worry threatening him to nearly snap at any moment.
"I don't know," Amy said, worry in her voice as she peered up at him. "Adam, please... You're making me more nervous than I already am."
He turned to face his wife.
"Please..." she practically begged. Her hand reached out to grasp his much larger one, and she tugged at it as though to get him to sit beside her. For the redhead's sake, he did exactly that.
"I'm sorry, Ames... I'm just..."
"I know, baby... I know," she replied in a soft voice. She laid her head against his shoulder, burrowing against him.
Adam sighed and wound his arm around her. After kissing her brow softly, he spoke in a hushed tone.
"We're going to get our son back... No matter what it takes, I promise you, we will."
"Mr. and Mrs. Copeland?"
They both looked up simultaneously as the voice spoke, and Chief William Rivers stood over them.
"I'm sorry to have kept you waiting. I'm Chief Rivers. Come with me."
Adam and Amy stood up and walked hand-in-hand, following closely behind the man. Amy could practically hear her heart thundering in her chest, and she was so scared she might faint. She managed to somehow keep it together as they entered the police chief's office. A man and woman were inside, waiting.
"This is Detective Jerry Cohen, and this is Detective Marjorie Owens," the chief said. "Mr. and Mrs. Copeland."
Adam and Amy shook hands with the two in turn.
"I've assigned Cohen and Owens to your case," Rivers explained.
"You believe you know who took your son?" Detective Owens asked. She was a no-nonsense African-American woman in her mid-forties.
"Absolutely," Adam replied. "A co-worker of ours took our eleven-year-old daughter five years ago."
"He's my ex-boyfriend," Amy elaborated. "I think he did it out of jealousy and revenge."
"What do you mean 'revenge?'" Detective Cohen asked.
"Well, you see, I dated him from the time my daughter was a baby... We were sort of like a family. I think he just snapped when I reconnected with Mandy's real father."
"And that was you?" Owens asked, her gaze on Adam.
"Right."
"Why do you think he would kidnap your son, though?" Cohen questioned. "He can't think your son is his child, can he?"
Amy's eyes nearly widened at the question. She knew this was a standard thing, but she felt insulted and somewhat outraged regardless.
"Of course not."
"My wife hasn't had a thing to do with Matt Hardy in years," Adam nearly snapped.
"If there's anything more you can think of about this Hardy, let Owens and Cohen know immediately," Rivers cut in. "They'll need any information you can give."
Owens nodded in agreement.
"Mr. Copeland... Mrs. Copeland, we're going to find your son and bring him back home to you."
"Please," the redhead said, "call us Amy and Adam. And thank you."