Disclaimer:- The basic plot of this story belongs to one of PurpleRain012 older stories. So the credit goes to her. I simply modified it. I don't own any of the recognisable names.
It was a bright Sunday afternoon and Lita was sitting in a car along with her bffs Dawn, Trish and Victoria driving to a near by church to attend the wedding ceremony of the one John Cena. The drive was short and the conversations between the friends made it seem even shorter, but the redhead among them felt the path should never end. She was still not ready to accept the reality, that John was getting married and not to her.
Now for that, she had herself to blame. John was her ex-boyfriend and she was the one to break up with him but she had her own reasons to do so, though she later realised how weak and baseless they were. By then the damage had been done and she had regretted it ever since.
John and Lita dated for merely a year during the end of her career and it was her career decision that caused the break up between them. The redhead had always found the Champ quite attractive and when he asked her out one night after the show, she just could not say no. She was quite happy instead and they hit it off pretty well. Within a couple of weeks they started dating and by the end of third month being together, they confessed their love for each other.
Lita was practically on the moon that time. Her career was going well, she was in a healthy loving relationship and nothing seemed to go wrong. She had come to deeply care about John and from the way he acted around her, she was sure he too loved her just as much. Lita was already planning a future with him, a marriage, couple of kids, she wouldn't have minded more and then living peacefully together for the rest of their lives. The next few months passed away like a dream.
On the end of the 8th month of their relationship, tragedy struck. Lita suffered a career threatening knee injury during a match with a rookie Maria. John was by her side all the time, like a caring boyfriend would, cheering her up, attending doctor appointments with her etc. He was the face of the company, so he already had the busiest schedule on the roster but he still managed to make time for her, and never complained. He was acting like her rock then, holding her together. Lita was very scared, she had a feeling she would never make it back in the ring again, but she decided to have hope.
The doctors advised surgery which she knew was inevitable. She was using a crutch that time. The doctor predicted at least 2-3 months of recovery and still she would possibly never have the same strength in her legs again. It was then that she realised she had to make a major decision, the biggest of them all. After the successful surgery, John went back to road full time and she went to live with her parents to recover. They would talk on phone everyday and he visited her as much as he could on his off days, which given his status, were rare.
After almost three months, Lita was all healed and ready to come back to WWE. She had already decided on her retirement by then and nobody other than her parents knew about it. She didn't even reveal anything to her bffs, with whom she practically shared everything. The first person she met after returning was Vince and talked about her decision. He tried to insist but she had already made up her mind and nothing he said could change it. Vince finally gave up and wished her the best for future. She then met up with Trish and Victoria and they were shocked to hear the news. Trish was pissed that she didn't tell or even give a hint before but Victoria was more considerate. She finally got rid of them by apologizing several times and promising that nothing would harm their friendship. Revealing her decision to others was the second hardest thing to do. She still yet had to make announcement of the hardest decision of her life, which was, breaking up with John.
She still remembered the incident like it happened only yesterday. After breaking the news to him, she couldn't get past the image of his mad, sad, pissed, upset, all combined, look on his face. Lita's reason was simple enough, she was leaving WWE and she didn't feel a long distance relationship between a retired diva and the busiest superstar in the company would get anywhere. She was satisfied with her reason, although her heart wasn't but she decided to listen to her head instead. John tried for a long time, even begged her to not break up, saying they would sure find a way but Lita didn't see any. She could not have a relationship with an active superstar when she was herself not in the company. It was simple enough. And that was officially the end of their relationship.
Needless to say, Lita regretted the decision soon after, but by then the damage had been done. She realised that if only she tried and listened to her heart, she could have a real shot at happiness in the future, but now that chance was gone. The way John reacted towards her at the end of their break up, she wasn't sure if he would even want to talk to her ever. She left the company and lost contact with many of the employees. She called John a few times but he didn't pick up. Then when she had almost given up hope, he called her himself. They talked casually, never bringing up their damaged past relationship and it was then that Lita learnt John was seeing Mickie. It came as a huge blow as well as a surprise to her.
Lita had nothing negative to say about the bubbly brunette. Sure, she was involved in one psycho crazy storyline with Trish but backstage she was well behaved and well mannered. She was full of energy and a positive influence on others. Lita had interacted with her a few times and she had found her quite shy and likeable. It was a wonder to her how Mickie managed to ask out John, or was it the other way round? Lita couldn't decide but she definitely wasn't in a good mood. All this happened one month after Lita left the company.
That was the last conversation Lita had with John for some time. She still kept talking to her friends on a regular basis. Trish's husband Randy was John's best friend but even she couldn't tell what was happening with him much, other than seeing John and Mickie spending time together. These news did nothing to heal Lita's heart, she wanted John back for herself and there was nothing she could do about it. She just wished this relation with Mickie wouldn't last long, as much as selfish that made her.
It therefore came as a huge shock to her when Trish one day called her and said that John had proposed Mickie. Lita couldn't believe it. It was only the 5th month of their relationship and he had already proposed? She didn't want to think that John's love for Mickie was more than his love for her, at least when they were together. But this quick engagement was a glowing proof of that. She wondered what Mickie had that she lacked, it definitely wasn't her love for him. Trish also said that John proposed when they were alone and broke the news the next day. It all seemed very suspicious to Lita but she didn't know what to suspect. It was not like John was being blackmailed or something, or was he?
After a lot of thinking over, Lita finally decided to call John and congratulate him on his engagement. It would break her heart to do so but she wanted to be in contact with him as much as possible, and this was a pretty good excuse. She called and he picked up right away. John sounded pretty normal and was genuinely surprised when she congratulated him. Before she could ask about the quick engagement, he cut her off by inviting her to the wedding which was just after 2 months and then hung up.
Wow, he definitely didn't waste any time, Lita thought and it actually made her blood boil. She was a pretty laid back person and tried to avoid violence as much as she could but at that time she just wanted to punch somebody, preferably Mickie's face. She just couldn't understand how John could propose someone within a few months of dating and then the wedding in the next couple of months? There was definitely some mystery about it which she couldn't place. None of her friends in the WWE could shed any light on it as well.
Lita was fully against going to the wedding at first but her friends made her change her mind. They said it would be her last chance to get John back and she shouldn't miss it. Lita was against the idea right from the beginning but her jealousy and selfishness was asking her to do it. It was her last chance, she thought, she had nothing to lose and everything to gain, so she finally decided to attend the wedding. She gave no hint to her friends though that she was planning on objecting to the marriage.
Lita was brought out of her trance by a poke from Trish. She looked at her to see the brunette looking back at her with excitement in her face. "Were you even listening to what I was saying? Why do you think John is marrying Mickie this early? I am sure there is some type of mystery involved in this."
"I am not sure Trish, what hold can she have on him, other than her carrying his baby I mean, but that too I am not sure of that to be honest," Lita said truthfully. Yes, she had thought a good deal about it many times. She really didn't think John would not use protection with Mickie, unless she did something herself. But as far as she knew her, she wasn't like that. But Mickie didn't matter to her now. John could get married to anybody and she would still want him back.
It looked like both Dawn and Victoria had things to say but both were cut short as they finally reached their destination. There was already a crowd gathered and a glance at her watch told Lita that they were late, by about 15 min. They must had been stuck in the traffic but Lita didn't notice, she was herself stuck in her past with John and was remembering the better days.
They hurried out and took their places in the second row of seats. The ceremony had already begun. John was standing in a white suit, looking very handsome, best man Randy right by his side. Lita's breathing stopped as she stared at him, John was looking nervous, he kept looking over the crowd and often whispering things with Randy. He looked at the little commotion that happened as the women took their seats and his eyes met hers. He gave a genuine despite a little strained smile and nodded approval that she had attended. He also mouthed her a thank you. Before Lita could respond the arrival of the bride was announced and Lita moved her eyes away from him.
Lita noted that the crowd was a light one, not many people attended the ceremony. John's family and his close co-workers, same from Mickie's side. Lita tried not to look at the bride as she approached, guided by her father who looked really happy. However it was almost impossible to do so she finally took a look at her. Mickie was looking very pretty in her bridal dress, grinning from ear to ear, obviously happy as she took her place at the altar. Now the dreadful moment was about to come, and Lita was in no way, prepared for it. The minister announced loudly, "If there is anyone who objects to this marriage, let them speak now or forever hold their peace."
Lita could feel her friends turn to look at her as she stood up to voice her objection. In a trembling voice she responded, "I do." A murmur of voices and few gasps ran through the crowd as now everybody turned to look at her. John was staring at her shocked, with his mouth open and she didn't dare to look at Mickie's face, just his.
"John, I love you, I am sorry I broke up with you, I was stupid to do that, I still love you and can't live without you," Lita said without stopping once. Truth was she had practised those lines numerous times before arriving and they came out almost naturally. The murmur of voices were getting louder and John was staring at her intently but he didn't say anything, urging her to continue. She still didn't dare to look at Mickie. "Why are you doing this John? Why are you marrying her so quickly? Is it because you really love her or it because she has some sort of hold on you?", she rambled not knowing where these words came from. They were probably buried deep in her heart which came out only because of the jealousy she was feeling against Mickie.
Lita finally dared to take a look at the bride. She finally got a good look at her, she had lost some weight and looked weak. There was a mixture of fear and anxiety on her face and she was completely in tears. The scene of Mickie crying like that shook Lita badly and finally brought her to her senses as the impact the situation finally dawned upon her. She was ruining a wedding, where two people had willingly decided to marry each other, their families rejoicing and all because of her selfishness and inability to take a proper decision a few months ago, when she had the chance? She suddenly felt ashamed of herself and wished the earth would open up and swallow her down.
Lita hastily made her decision. She looked at Mickie who was still crying and now looking at her and she could feel tears forming in her own eyes. She looked at John who was opening his mouth to say something but she didn't give him the chance. "I am sorry, I am really sorry", she hurriedly said, "I shouldn't have said anything, please forgive me and continue with the proceedings", with that she ran the length of the church, her friends tad bit slower than her and the last thing she heard before she left the premise was John saying, "I do". Outside, she ran to the street, called a taxi and gave the address to Dawn's home and then finally burst out crying.
Three Years Later
Lita was fully content. She was finally married to the love of her life and she couldn't ask for anything more. She was basking from the after glow of making love with her husband for the second time on their wedding night. She snuggled to the warm body beside her, hand lying on his cheek, finger tracing along the dimple that formed there. She had always loved his dimples. They were very prominent now as he was grinning at her and she wanted to pinch them. But instead, she leaned forward and placed a sweet wet kiss on his lips, getting a longer one in return. "I love you." "I love you too", John responded smiling and with that he closed his eyes and drifted away to sleep.
However Lita couldn't sleep. All sorts of emotions were running through her. She draped her arm over John's body and began to think of the events that had happened in the past three years and what led to their present situation.
Lita was waiting outside Dawn's house for 20 minutes before her friends finally appeared. They were all surprised that Lita would actually do such a thing. They had a hunch but never considered that she would have a breakdown in the middle of all that. They all tried to console her but Lita was not hearing any of it. By then her tears had run out and the only thing she wanted to do was get away from that place. She packed her luggage and was driven by Trish to the airport where she took the earliest flight possible and returned home. She turned her mobile phone off and just wanted to shut herself away from the outside world.
As things turned normal after a few days, Lita started talking with her friends once again. She learnt that John had called her multiple times and when he couldn't reach her he had asked her friends about any news of her. Lita was indifferent to such news. She had already decided she would try her best to avoid any interaction with John and she planned to stick with it. She got the news that Mickie too had quit WWE and was living in a flat with John. Dawn revealed to her that pregnancy was not the reason for her leaving the company but she could not give any other reasons.
It was a strange thing that Trish could not get any information out of her husband Randy. He had been there since the first day and most possibly knew everything that happened between John and Mickie but he didn't say a word. The few other people to know about this situation were their respective parents, the McMahons and Mickie's best friend Melina. Anytime Trish asked Randy about why John married Mickie or what was happening between them, he either kept mum or just said they would know when the time comes. Lita couldn't make anything of it.
Though on the outside, Lita didn't show any interest on the John Cena news, in the inside she was in full gossip girl mode, wanting to get as much inside news on the couple as possible. Her best friends fuelled her, sending her as many exclusive news they themselves could find. By that time it was given that there was a mystery surrounding the marriage of John and Mickie and it came out in a way that none of the outsiders could have guessed.
It was around the fourth month of their marriage that news came out Mickie was fighting some severe illness but nobody Lita was in contact with could tell exactly what. Randy obviously knew but even Trish could not get it out of him. Sadly they were not good friends with Melina so they could not simply ask her. John kept on going back and forth between visiting the road and visiting Mickie. He kept appearing on the show less and less as the months rolled on and he was rarely seen on tv around the 10 month mark. By the time their wedding anniversary rolled around, Mickie was dead. She was in the final stages of lung cancer and there was nothing that could be done.
The next few weeks went away in a blur. John took a two months break from WWE. Lita didn't attend Mickie's funeral but all her friends did. It was mainly the distance that was reason in her case. She however was sensible enough to send him a text message sending her condolences, no, she had to courage to talk to him but she wasn't heartless either. She knew the pain of losing someone and had full idea of how John was feeling. He didn't reply back.
One week after the funeral, John was found standing outside Lita's home at Atlanta and she was so surprised she didn't know how to react first. He looked broken, dark circles beneath his eyes and a strained smile on his lips. His dimples still showed as he gazed at the redhead. When Lita didn't even invite him inside, he spoke in a soft voice, "I owe you an apology. I am sorry for not replying to your text, but I wanted to meet you in person. I appreciate it."
It was enough to break Lita's entrance and she hurriedly ushered him inside. Once he took a seat in the living room, she took out two soft drinks, placed them on the table and sat opposite him, waiting for him to continue. John fidgeted with the bottle for a few moments and then took a sip and finally started talking. He went directly to the subject matter.
"First let me tell you that I have visited your friends and explained my situation and insisted that they don't tell you because I wanted to do it myself. I know everyone had the same question in the beginning, why was I marrying Mickie and why so soon, well there was a reason behind that." Lita was listening intently to him. She now realised that her friends did seem a little off when they talked the last time. It was because none of them had mentioned John in their conversations, which was rare. Now she could see the reason behind that.
Lita urged him to continue. John nodded, "Okay, so I was dating Mickie that time and things weren't really very serious between us. Though we did like spending time with each other. Then, one day as we were leaving for a date, a paper slipped from her purse and I picked it. I was about to return it but the writing on it got my attention. It was a result of some tests and I could only read the word cancer before Mickie took it from my hand. She was acting very nervous. When I questioned her, she said she would tell me over our date."
Lita could tell where the story was going but she still wanted to be sure. When John gestured at the now empty bottles, she got up and brought two more. Taking a small sip, he continued with his story. "So we went to a nice peaceful restaurant and gave our orders. I waited for her to continue but she didn't mention anything. She must had seen it in my eyes because she explained, that she wanted to eat first and then go to some lonely place where we could talk. So we did. She was acting very nervous all the time."
John continued, "At first she just stared into the space for some time and then said that she had been diagnosed with lung cancer and because it was already late, there was nothing that could be done about it. She was having symptoms for quite a while but she didn't heed them and dismissed them as stress from work. She said she was going to live for a maximum of one year and then she broke down completely." John took some moments to gather himself. Lita was feeling horrible, she had no knowledge about it and hearing about it now, she realised how wrong she was of judging Mickie.
"I was completely shocked, I didn't know what else to do so I just hugged her and tried to comfort her. She was babbling things now. She rambled about marriages, having kids, living a life with loved ones, what we all wish for in our future." John sighed. " She said she got the results only a couple of days ago and she planned on telling me that day after the date and break up with me. I really grew to care for her. Seeing her like that, in a mess, all broken down, it really touched my heart. I knew she would get only more heart broken if I left too. She didn't have many close friends backstage, only Melina knew. I didn't want to leave her then. I had the same feeling once when you broke up with me."
Lita didn't respond to the remark, she sat stony faced, showing no expression on her face, but inside, there was a storm going on. She could almost feel how John was feeling because she too had felt the same, when she broke up with him and mostly in particular when he was getting married to Mickie. John didn't wait for her to respond, he continued talking. "I somehow managed to calm her down and drove her to our hotel. I had thought of everything over and over again and made one of biggest decision of my life by then. The first thing I did as we entered our room was to propose her. She denied obviously, but I insisted, she was overwhelmed but finally agreed and you know the rest." John took a deep breath and fell silent.
Lita too sat silent for a long time and when the silence finally became too much to bear, she opened her mouth. "I am really sorry to hear about Mickie. I was really wrong to interrupt your wedding. I lost control of myself but the heart break I was going through is nothing compared to what Mickie was dealing at that time. That's why the moment I saw her crying, I knew I had made a terrible mistake. God, I can't even imagine what Mickie was feeling that time."
John nodded, "Now you know why I didn't say anything that day. Believe me, if it was anyone else other than Mickie, I would have gladly stopped the wedding and went with you." "I mean it." John added seeing Lita's startled expression. "Mickie didn't want anyone to feel sorry for her, she denied me from telling anyone else other than very close friends, only Randy and Melina knew, but they both stayed silent."
There were tears forming in the redhead's eyes as she tried to control her voice, but it too was getting hoarse. "I hope..she had a good married life, I hope you took good care of her until her last breath", she turned her head sideways because the tears were finally flowing down her face but she didn't try to stop them. Her emotions were all working overtime.
John gave a very strained smile, a tiny one but his dimples still came out. He didn't try to console her, just leaned forward and patted her shoulders a few times. "That she did. I took care of her as best as I could. She was very content when she died, she told me so."
There was not much left to talk after that, so John left soon after, but not before both of them promising to stay in contact with each other. Lita asked him to stay the night but he denied, saying he had other visits to make. But both could feel the sexual chemistry that was still lingering between them, and that day was the beginning of their new end.
John and Lita took things slow. She had got another chance with him, however tragic the procedure was and she was not going to give up this time. Lita started travelling with him on road, much to the amusement and encouragement of their friends and co-workers. Not long before they moved in together, he proposed, she happily said yes and exactly 14 months after their dating anniversary, they got married.
She pitied Mickie and at times felt sorry for her but she was also grateful to her. If not Mickie, she would have never attended a wedding, she would have not revealed her true feelings in public and most of all John probably wouldn't have came back to her. She turned to look at her husband. He was sleeping with a content smile etched on his face. She was never going to make the same mistake of letting him go, she had learnt her lesson well and the hard way. The redhead leaned and placed a light kiss on his lips and then fell into a peaceful sleep.
The End
A/N1- Hope you liked the story. I know it doesn't sound realistic enough but I tried since there was nothing much to do with the original material, ahem PurpleRain012. She has a different version of this story up, also featuring John/Lita, go and take a look. Reviews are always appreciated.
Sorry for the spelling and grammatical mistakes. They happen, you know!